The Goblin King, the Labyrinth, and the Wardrobe
by FreakinGodzilla
Summary: Sarah finds a large wardrobe in an antique shop. But remember, nothing is ever as it seems. J/S
1. The Wardrobe

**I would like to point out first, that I do not own the Labyrinth or even The Lion, the witch, and the Wardrobe. If I did I would be rich and famous, and I am neither of those things. Second I also want to say that I was a bit nervous writing this. I promise I am not trying to steal anyone else's idea if someone else has written this already. I'm not going to include any other characters in this story from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe because this is Labyrinth fanfiction. This is not a cross-over and it's not going to have much in common with the book. I also don't own any of these characters.**

 **Please enjoy! :)**

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The Goblin King, the Labyrinth, and the Wardrobe

The shop keepers bell chimed an entry of a small curious family, instantly alerting an old woman at the back of the small antique store. The old woman limped her way to the front desk, carrying all of her weight on a cane that looked to be as ancient as herself. Her long silver hair was stringy, and her clothes resembled that of a gypsies. She looked at the customers and squinted through her small glasses. The family wore curious expression as they explored the dusty antique shop.

A young woman with the family caught her eye. The girl looked out of place next to the others with dark hair and a pale complexion, as the rest of the family had either light brown or blonde hair. Her eyes looked around in wonder at all the shiny objects, and occasionally she would reach towards them and pick them up, inspecting them. The dark-haired girl had an eager look as she spotted an object upon one of the many wooden shelves along the walls of the building.

The young woman eventually made her way to the front desk and smiled kindly.

"Are you looking for something, darling?" The old woman said, and the young girl nodded.

"Actually, yes. I just moved into an apartment complex down the road, and I was looking for a furniture store nearby. Do you know of any?" She clasped her hands in front of her politely.

"Ah," The old woman looked up in thought, "Yes, which apartment complex did you move into?"

"I, uh, it's called Reflection Apartments."

"Yes, darling if you took the main road a furniture store should be just down the street. You most likely passed it on your way here."

"Oh," The girl smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, I don't really know my way around this part of town."

The old woman smiled politely.

"Sarah!" A young boyish voice called from the back of the store, "Look what I found!"

"Excuse me one second." The girl said before turning and making her way towards the young voice.

Leaning against her cane, the old woman curiously made her way towards the young boy's voice as well. There should not be anything at the back of the store, she hadn't had any other shipments besides what was in the front. Slowly, she made her way through the shelves filled with random objects and came upon the girl and her family standing at the end of the store.

The objects at the back of the store were dusty and there was not much clutter. Usually, the donated stuff is stored at the back before a place can be cleared for it. But the old woman knew that they hadn't gotten any newly donated objects for quite a while, hence why the only things there were usually just random dusty objects that no one had ever deemed interesting.

A young boy stood out among the family. He looked to be around ten or eleven, and he smiled brightly at the dark-haired young girl. The ancient woman could only assume that they were siblings. Two people stood beside him, most likely his parents. Between them, a large wardrobe stood, that seem to look as if it was placed with the intention of grabbing your focus. It stood tall and beautiful, and the young boy next to it had his hands gesturing towards it proudly.

"Check it out, Sarah! It will go perfectly with your new bedroom set!" He beamed, obviously happy to have all the attention on him. The old woman frowned, she did not remember ever getting that item in her store, but her memory has not been so great recently.

"I don't know Toby, it looks too big…" Sarah said staring at the large wardrobe that seemed to almost tower over them.

"Oh, Sarah, this thing must be a century old at least!" A light-haired woman said in excitement as she motioned towards the wardrobe. The woman bore no resemblance to Sarah, but was probably old enough to be her mother.

"I sure does look like it has a history," The man next to woman said. "Sarah, if you want it, we could get it for you. We told you we would help you with getting all set up."

 _This must be the father_ , the ancient woman thought, but she remained in contemplative silence. She could have sworn she had never seen that wardrobe in the back of the store until today. Surely, she would have remembered a donation as large as that. She smirked as the image of a man hauling the large wardrobe into her store without her knowing entered her mind.

"How much is it?" Sarah turned and startled the old woman out of her quizzical thoughts. She hadn't thought that the family had sensed her presence since they had not acknowledged her until now.

"This old thing?" The old woman questioned, and she limped her way to the wardrobe. It was a beauty, wood carvings and dark cherry wood, but it had countless chippings and cracks on it to signal it's age. "I'd say a hundred."

"Really?" Sarah asked, incredulously.

"Bah," the old woman scoffed, "This thing is taking too much room as it is. It's most likely as ancient as I am. Consider it a welcome gift."

"Oh, man. Thank you so much!" The young girls face lighted up. The old woman smiled, and laugh lines on her face became prominent.

* * *

"It sure was loved by somebody…" Sarah said to herself as she pressed her fingers over the chippings in the dark wood of the wardrobe. She liked to imagine that it had a huge adventurous history. Maybe it had seen joy-filled days of romance or forbidden love, it's owners had passed it on through generations to each of their loved children, or even had been a safe hiding spot during a dark time.

She stood in an empty room, the only piece of furniture that currently occupied it was the large wardrobe. Luckily, it hadn't taken up as much room as she had thought that it would, but it was large enough to fit around three people inside with room for standing.

"Sarah," Karen entered the room looking worn out, flyaway hairs stood out of her tight updo. "Could you entertain your brother for a few hours while Richard and I help the movers with your stuff?"

"Yeah, sure." Sarah replied, hearing the young boy's countless questions sounding from the other room.

"Thank god. Richard gave him way too much candy on the way here, and he's practically bouncing off walls. We tried to put him to work, but he would not stay on task." Karen gave Sarah a wary smile, the secret desperation in her eyes noticeable by Sarah.

"I got him." Sarah smiled, she knew how to keep him off their hands. She had been babysitting him, after all, for around ten years.

* * *

There was a snickering coming from the hallway bathroom...

The young woman stopped in curiosity, before she quietly turned to face the closed door. Her face showed confusion for a second, brows furrowing, then she gave a mischievous smirk in recognition.

Opening the door slowly to not alert the intruder, Sarah walked cautiously into the white, small and bare bathroom. The door creaked slightly as she slowly pushed it open, and Sarah scrunched her eyes closed hoping the sound had not warned the snickering creature to her presence. The creature, however, continued it's chortling, completely unaware.

The dark-haired woman walked on her tip-toes to the drawn shower curtain. The curtain was shaking slightly, as if whatever was behind it was trying to control it's movements, but it was failing miserably. A slight shadow from behind the curtain showed the creature slightly hunched over. Sarah smirked with a knowing smile that said, _I've got you now_.

She casually reached her hand out to the shower curtain and grabbed onto it with a fierce grip.

Whatever was behind the curtain seemed to sense this movement, and the shadow tensed. It ceased it's snickering in anticipation and it's movements went still. All was quiet, the clutter-less bathroom seemed to wait in silence for the next moment.

Sarah drew in a deep breath, gathering her courage. She bit her lip, and her grip on the curtain increased as she made up her mind. If she was going to do this; she was going to do this right.

Her knuckles began to whiten, and with all her strength she flung it open with as much speed she could muster.

"Found you!" Sarah roared as the shower curtain flung open, exposing the tiny creature.

"Aw, man. I was doing so well." It whined with obvious disappointment in it's voice.

"Yeah, if you count snickering loudly the whole time you're hiding as 'doing well'" Sarah teased, raising a dark eyebrow.

The creature itself was not quite a creature, but a tiny human boy. The young boy only came up to Sarah's chest, had a head full of bright blonde hair and was currently sticking his tongue out at Sarah. She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"It's your turn to hide now, Sarah!" He yelled excitedly, and Sarah covered her ears quickly as the empty bathroom walls echoed.

"Alright, alright. Calm down Tobes. 10 seconds, right?" She asked, suddenly becoming as excited as the young boy.

"Right," He squeezed his blue eyes closed, " Ready? Ten-"

Sarah bolted out the bathroom door, running through the apartment and scanning where to hide next. She had already hidden in a few empty boxes, as well as the pantry and behind the couch. He was sure to find her there if she tried to again. She looked around the living room, and politely stepped out of the way of a mover man setting down a large box that was titled 'Bedroom Closet'. Then she remembered, the wardrobe.

"Six, five-" Toby's voice carried on from inside the echoing bathroom.

She ran as fast as she could into the empty master bedroom and flung open the wardrobe doors. Never should someone say that the William's family doesn't take Hide and Seek seriously. Sarah jumped inside and swung the doors closed. She calmed her breathing and peered through the space between the wardrobe doors.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Toby's voice called from the hallway bathroom.

Five minutes later Sarah was beginning to believe Toby had given up, but then her bedroom door swung open. Through the space between the wardrobe doors, Sarah looked at Toby quietly as he gazed proudly upon the wardrobe, no doubt he was already gloating in the fact that he had found her. As he hurriedly made his way across the room Sarah backed up in slight panic, and in her haste she fell backwards, but was met with no wall.

She was shocked to find that instead of the back of the wardrobe catching her fall, she continued falling backwards until she lay on the ground.

"Ouch." She groaned and realized during her fall she had closed her eyes. When she opened them she was greeted with an unexpected sight. _There is a sky above me_ , Sarah noticed first. Then she noticed that dust was floating in the air from where she had landed, and she looked around at where she lay. Sitting up, she saw the back-end of the wardrobe in front of her, but the back wall was absent and she could see inside it. Sarah looked around and noted that she was on top of a hill, and a lone tree stood next to her. It was a familiar sight, but for a split second she could not pin-point why.

She stood up, and waited for her legs to steady, for they suddenly seemed weak. When they steadied, she looked up and gasped. She stared in awe and slight terror at the familiar sight. It was the Labyrinth.

She was in the Labyrinth.

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 **This idea suddenly came to me a few weeks ago, and I decided to finally start writing. Tell me what you think about it? Constructive criticism is appreciated, just no plain rude comments. Thanks for reading. :)**


	2. An Old Friend

**I would once again like to remind you that I do not own the Labyrinth, nor the characters, nor the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, also I don't own the wardrobe, or even the glass of water that Sarah drinks out of during this chapter. Alright, so here's the second chapter! Tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is appreciated. :)**

 **Enjoy. :)**

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Sleep would not come to Sarah that night. Whether it was the fact that this was the first night living away from family, or the fact that directly in front of her air-mattress was a wardrobe that served as a portal to the Labyrinth, she was not sure. Probably the latter, though. Her nervousness would not cease, and she tossed and turned constantly.

It was one in the morning when she gave up on the idea of sleep and left the bed to get a glass of water. She sped up her walk as she passed the tall wardrobe and finally her nervousness left when she exited the bedroom.

Clutching a glass of water tightly against her chest Sarah contemplated the situation she found herself in. When she had somehow fallen through the wardrobe and landed in the Labyrinth earlier, she was too alarmed to do much else but bolt right back into the wardrobe. Toby had been startled when she had fallen out, and when the boy had asked why she looked like she had seen a ghost, Sarah simply replied with, "There are spiders in the wardrobe," and left it at that.

Although, now that she had given it hours of thought, curiosity was beginning to take over. Sarah found herself in her bedroom standing before the wardrobe once again. Briefly, she wondered if she had imagined the whole thing, but she quickly out-ruled that thought. It had been too real to make up, and though her creativity was great, she would never be able to conjure up the feeling of wind rushing around her and the hum of magic in the air.

She brushed her free hand against the wooden door, and firmly decided what she was going to do next. Quickly, she slipped on her slippers and pulled on an over-sized sweatshirt.

Swinging open the wardrobe doors, the young woman froze. _It's just a wall,_ Sarah stared in bewilderment as the back-end of the wardrobe faced her instead of a hilltop. _No, remember, nothing is ever as it seems,_ she told herself and set her jaw determinedly.

Swiftly, she entered the wardrobe and pulled the doors shut behind her. She couldn't see a single thing as the moonlight from her window was now fully blocked out. She stumbled as she made her way forward, and eventually the ground and air around her changed. It felt as if she was outside, but it was still pitch-black. Claustrophobia took over and she picked up her pace, praying that she would see some hint of light soon.

She stumbled over an object that was unseen, but it felt like - _A rock?_ Her heart almost stopped in anxiety.

Then without warning, the ground below her seemed to disappear and Sarah found herself tumbling down further, further, and further. She let out a scream in terror and the glass of water that she had been clutching shattered against the hard, sandy ground.

* * *

"Sarah?" A familiar rough voice sounded through her quickly returning consciousness. Hoggle had been doing his nightly examining of the Labyrinth walls. The fairies surrounding the perimeter liked to return every night, and Hoggle always did a quick inspection of the garden to wipe out any returning fairies before they could multiply.

Tonight he had found something completely unexpected, an old friend that he had not seen for around ten aboveground years.

He poked at the young woman's face in pure concern. He had never been too good with medical stuff, which is exactly why he had taken to gardening instead. Better to just farm the herbs for healers than to do the actual healing, right?

"Sarah, ya okay?" His scruffy brows furrowed.

"Hoggle?" He let out a relieved sigh, "Is that you?" Her voice sounded slightly pained, but that was expected. Hoggle was quite surprised that she hadn't taken a further beating from tumbling down from the hilltop she had suddenly arrived from.

"It's me."

"Why is it so dark?"

"Ah," He hobbled his way through the darkness, clearly knowing where everything was from memory. "Here we go," he said and struck a match. The small room lit up dimly, but it revealed a small cottage. The ceiling was low, and the furniture looked worse for wear. Sarah was lying on a hammock in the corner of the room. There was a rough table and two plain chairs near her hammock, and the only other furniture was a tattered couch and a furnace that helped dimly light the room.

"Drink this." Hoggle said, pushing a drink to Sarah and helping her sit up. His eyebrows were furrowed together and he tried hard to keep himself from trembling out of worry.

"Ugh, that tastes horrible!" Her face scrunched up in disgust.

Feeling slightly irritated, Hoggle refused her rejection of the drink and pushed it into her hands once again. "Drink it, it will help you."

"How do you know?" She said, somewhat breathlessly as she took in her surroundings for the first time.

"I, ugh," he scratched his head in thought, "I actually don't know." He had never had to take care of anyone but himself, let alone a human. Their bodies work differently, and he suddenly felt bad for trying to feed her a goblin health potion.

"That's what I thought." Sarah said, giving him a pointed look before her face expression suddenly changed.

"Oh my gosh! Hoggle!" Her face lit up in pure delight. Lunging forward she pulled him into a tight hug. He squirmed uncomfortably, her hold on him was too tight. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Yeahs, me too Sarah." He practically choked out, "Sarah… Can't… Breathe…"

"Oh, I'm sorry." She pulled away, and he couldn't decide if he was grateful or glum about it. He continued to fret over her, making sure she had no major injuries from her tumble. Finally, after minutes of her reassurance, he backed away and allowed her space.

She looked different, but he could not put his finger on it. Her hair was still long, but her face seemed to look older, more mature. But then he remembered, human's don't age as slowly as fae.

After a moment of silence Sarah asked where they were and he replied that they were in his house just outside the Labyrinth. He told her how he had found her after she had fallen down the hill, and she seemed as relieved as he is that her injuries hadn't been more serious.

"Hoggle, have you ever heard of a special wardrobe?"

"A special wardrobe? I ain't ever seen a wardrobe that is anything too exciting." _A wardrobe,_ Hoggle thought slightly taken back _, She's thinking of a wardrobe at a time like this?_ He stared at her as concern began to take a hold of his face yet again. _Maybe her head injuries are worse than I thought..._ And with that thought, Hoggle to distress.

Sarah seemed to catch this and quickly corrected herself, "No, I mean, a wardrobe that could transport someone like me to the Labyrinth."

"Nah, I-" His eyes widened in realization, _A portal to the underground_. "A wardrobe?" The tone of his voice heightened.

"Yeah, it was pretty unbelievable earlier today when I accidentally stumbled into the Labyrinth. I decided tonight to come back, and well - you know the rest."

He tried to put it all together, how could she have found a wardrobe that transported her here. There had never been any other reporting of this happening before, but forget the fact that she had found a portal here. Why **is** there a portal here? And of all people to find it, why did Sarah? He tried to connect the dots. _Sarah found a wardrobe that led her here..._ He rubbed his nose with the back of his hand in thought, then sudden anger and a sense of protectiveness took over his feelings.

"That rat!" Hoggle growled.

"What?" Sarah asked in confusion.

"Gugh, I - uh - saws a rat…" Hoggle tried to cover.

"Where? I didn't see anything." Sarah looked around in confusion, taking the bait.

"He, uh, went over there. The pests have been all over lately." Hoggle took Sarah by her hands and pulled her up from the hammock. "Say, hows about you go back home and get some rest while I take care of this rat problem?" He got a sudden idea, and needed her gone in order to protect her.

"Go home? But Hoggle, I just got here, and I haven't seen you for **ten** years!"

Hoggle instantly felt guilty for pushing her away, but if this is that rat's doing, then she'd better leave soon, he quickly made up his mind.

"Yeah, well, I'm not really ready for company rights now. But surely you can see me later, right?" He pushed her towards the door and handed her a candle to take out into the moonless night, "Now here, take this. You knows your way back?"

She nodded, somewhat shocked that her once closest friend was pushing her out the front door.

"Good. Now, goodbye!" He said and slammed the front door in her face. He couldn't afford to feel guilty right now, he had a pesky rat to take care of. He waited for the candle light to disappear from the window, signaling the girl's absence, and prepared for a journey to the Castle beyond the Goblin City.

* * *

Sarah pushed her way once again through the wardrobe. This time, though, she could see. The candle that Hoggle had given her had helped lead her way back, and now she could see the inside of the wardrobe. She couldn't understand why he would push her away so fast. Maybe he was hurt by the fact that she hadn't talked to him in ten years. _Of course, Sarah,_ She snarled to herself, _You don't talk to a guy in ten years and then expect him to be completely happy to have you in his home._ She pushed the wardrobe doors open, and was once again in her bedroom.

Swiftly she made her way to the nightstand by her bed, remembering to shut the wardrobe doors behind her. She felt oddly at peace as she pulled off her sweatshirt and her slippers. She glanced at her alarm clock as she warily climbed into bed, and was almost shocked wide-awake to see that no time had changed at all since she had left to venture into the Underground. It was still one in the morning, and finally she drifted into a peaceful sleep filled with dreams of her dearest friends in the labyrinth.

* * *

Hoggle quietly made his way through the Goblin City, so as not to wake any sleeping goblins. They were still quite miffed that he had rebelled against them in favor of 'The Girl'. But at the moment he wasn't too concerned about them, his mind was on the Goblin King. He hadn't seen him since the day after Sarah's run through the Labyrinth. Hoggle imagined he might still be miffed about that as well, and he adjusted his vest to control the amount of shivers he had received from thinking about what the Goblin King would do if he confronted him again. He had half a mind to just stop and head home, but he reminded himself that he was doing this for Sarah.

The dwarf made his way to the large doors at the entrance of the Castle. He shivered once again, but he remembered how cowardly he had been before he met Sarah. He could never return to that now.

 _The things I do for Sarah,_ he thought as he hesitantly raised a hand to the large metal doors.

He knocked loudly, knowing he couldn't turn back now, and the doors opened with a thunderous creak.

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 **Alright, so next chapter we get to see the Goblin King. I've got some ideas on how that's going to turn out already. Poor Hoggle.**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


	3. The King of the Goblins

**So this chapter actually took a while longer to write, but I had fun doing it. And as always, I do not own the Labyrinth, or the characters. Well, here it is, the meeting with the Goblin King.**

 **I had so much more I was planning on writing in this chapter, but it got too long.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy. :)**

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The entrance hall inside the castle had always been a little intimidating. But to Hoggle, at the moment, it was probably the most anxiety filled moment in his life. He had not talked, nor barely heard from the Goblin King since Sarah's run through the labyrinth. The long stone corridor was lined consistently with torches and the high walls only added to Hoggle's nervousness as he continued through the hall.

Climbing a set of stairs, he saw the throne room before him. Goblins were everywhere, as per usual, but their king was absent from his throne.

"'Scuse me." He tried.

The goblins continued on ignoring him. Not ceasing with their clamor they drank and rambled on. A high pitched laugh was heard, and Hoggle looked up to see a delirious goblin swinging from a rope he had tied to a high placed torch. Cackling madly, the goblin swung into a group of completely inebriated goblins. The tipsy goblin knocked them down along with several others. Clutter filled the room everywhere except the throne. Plates full of half-eaten food, growing moldy from weeks of sitting, laid around the room. Bottles full, half-empty and empty of ale laid strewn across the room. Goblins flew from practically every direction, some limping, drunk, sleepy and some were partaking in an odd sort of game.

Saying the room was chaotic was an understatement.

"' _ **Scuse me**_ **!** " He bellowed and instantly the room quieted. The entire room full of eyes narrowed in on him and he twitched nervously.

" **Where's Jareth?** " Hoggle shouted and a chorus of 'I dunno' answered back unhelpfully.

Hoggle sighed. Of course fate was not going to make it easy on him. Going to the throne room to have an audience with the king is bad enough, but to seek out the king was another thing completely. It would no doubt annoy the king even more, and it would make him look desperate.

A tap on his shoulder pulled him out of his self-pity, and he turned to see a larger sized goblin whose face resembled a hog. "I's can take you to him." He said in a deep voice. Hoggle followed the goblin-like hog out of the throne room, ignoring the pairs of eyes that still were gaping at him.

The goblin led Hoggle down a stone hallway to a set of large wooden doors. They stood outside for a minute or two, preparing themselves. No doubt the goblin had heard stories of interrupting the king when he was in a bad mood. Hoggle hadn't just heard of the stories, he had been in several of them.

Finally, the goblin reached up and knocked loudly. The knock echoed slightly for a few moments before a crisp 'enter' was heard from the other side of the towering doors.

The doors were pulled open, revealing a dimly lit room with candelabras at the corners. A large red elegant rug covered most of the floor, and on the side of the room sat the Goblin King at a large dark cherry colored desk filled with scattered books. There were several red plush couches placed elegantly in the center of the room, and the room was free of the clutter that Hoggle had unfortunately witnessed in the throne room.

"Yes?" He drawled indifferently as he continued studying a scroll in front of him. The Goblin King gave no interest, nor did he glance at his visitor.

Hoggle hesitantly cleared his throat. He needed the king's full undivided attention for what he was going to say.

The Goblin King nonchalantly raised an eyebrow before turning to see his visitor. Once he glanced at Hoggle, he slowly put the scroll down and turned fully toward him, causing Hoggle shifted on his feet nervously. _Maybe having his full undivided attention isn't such a good idea after all,_ Hoggle thought to himself.

"You may leave us." The king said to the other goblin, the goblin in turn tripping over himself as he hastily closed the doors shut behind him. The Goblin King had on a loose poets shirt that was tucked into his infamous tight pants. Not that Hoggle noticed his pants or anything...

"Hogwart, it _has_ been quite a while, hasn't it?" The king's accented voice said with slight interest. His eyebrows raised, slightly in curiosity at what the dwarf was here for. Heggle had not come near him since... Sarah.

"Yeah, well, I's just came to tell yous…" The dwarf gulped, "To, uh, tell yous…" Hoggle began to feel disquieted and tried to hide the fact that he was almost trembling in his boots.

Jareth leaned forward in his chair, studying the dwarf.

"Uh…" Hoggle adjusted his vest, suddenly unable to control his fear. _Even after all these years Jareth still scares me,_ Hoggle thought, _What good of a friend am I if I can't even stand up for Sarah..._

"To tell me what, Hoghead?" Jareth interrupted Hoggle's inner monologue impatiently.

"Ta tell yous to leave the girl alone!" He said, finally finding some spark of braveness.

"What girl?" The Goblin King said with mild irritation.

"Oooh, you knows, **the** girl!" He stomped his foot, causing Jareth to narrow his eyes in irritation.

"Hoghead…" Jareth began with a warning tone clear in his voice.

"Sarah!" Hoggle finally grounded out.

At this moment, the Goblin King's face did several things that practically made Hoggle lose his sudden braveness all over again. Jareth's face showed resentment, wonder, anger and finally settled on mischievousness that had Hoggle twitching in his boots.

"What of her?" Jareth leaned back in his chair with an unusually intrigued air to him.

"You means you didn't do it?" Hoggle said, suddenly confused.

"I have done nothing to the girl. Whatever situation she has suddenly found herself in, it is not of my doing." He drawled impatiently, gesturing with his hand for emphasis.

"Wells," Hoggle said feeling slightly awkward, "I guess I'll just be on my ways then." He began backing up towards the door.

"No need in botherin' you anymore 'majesty." He continued cautiously. "Wouldn't wants ta waste anymore of your time…"

"Heggle." Jareth warned in a tone that told Hoggle they were not finished.

Hoggle tensed in the doorway, "...Yes?"

"What of the girl?" The Goblin King's voice was slow and low.

"Uh," He stepped up slightly, pondering whether he should let Jareth know of what was going on. He scratched an itch on his backside, stalling apprehensively. "She's, uh… She says she found a portal."

"And why would this portal have anything to do with me?" The Goblin King droned, waiting for the impossible dwarf to elaborate.

"Wells, you see. The portal leads her - to the labyrinth. I founds her earlier - Says it's her wardrobe." Hoggle said anxiously, not entirely forming full sentences or thoughts. But of course, living with Goblins his entire life, the Goblin King was able to make out what Hoggle was failing to properly say.

"A portal from her wardrobe…?" The king looked up in thought. "How quaint."

"Yeahs, well, I can just be going nows. I tolds her ta leave, so you don't needs to worry. You see, now I know it wasn't you so-" Hoggle desperately dragged out as he made to leave the room again.

Jareth's eyes snapped back to Hoggle. "Hedgewort."

"-Yes?" Hoggle said, defeated.

The Goblin King stood up, stalking around Hoggle. The king would have looked indifferent if he had not been walking circles around him, intimidating him. "I'll forget this little _intrusion..._ If you follow my directions…"

Hoggle remembered how the king had never liked to have visitors when he was absent from his throne room. The last goblin to seek an audience with him had been thrown out of the window. Of course, that probably had to do with the fact that the king was in his bathing chambers when the goblin had found him...

"Directions?" Hoggle gaped.

Jareth knelt down at eye level, which somehow still made Hoggle feel small.

"Yes, I want you to convince the girl to visit more... _frequently_ …" Jareth drawled out the word as if he was somewhat pleased with it.

"Yous wouldn't mind?" Hoggle asked, suddenly ecstatic that Sarah was allowed to visit him. He failed to notice the troublesome glint in the Goblin King's mismatched eyes.

"Remember that I can be generous Heggle…" Jareth's face expression suddenly became disinterested, and he stood up, conveying a dismissal.

Hoggle turned for the door, but suddenly stopped. Jareth's never been this nice to him before, and he definitely wouldn't do something like this out of the kindness of his heart. No, there was another side to this coin…

"You're not gonna trick the girl, are yous?" Hoggle said suspiciously.

A large amused smirk formed on Jareth's lips, but he ignored the question. He sat back in his chair with disinterest and simply said, "I never did commend you on your status as a prince, Hogwart..." He summoned a clear, round crystal, as if he was trying to demonstrate a point.

A brief memory passed before Hoggle's eyes… " _If she ever kisses you, I'll turn you into a prince… The Prince of the Land of Stench."_

A noise left from the back of Hoggle's throat that sounded similar to a croak and he hightailed out of Jareth's study. Hoggle's racing feet echoed throughout the long empty stoned hallway, along with Jareth's laughter. Apparently the Goblin King still thought it was a classic joke.

* * *

Sarah had been ignoring the wardrobe for an entire week. Somehow, in the light of day it created an eeriness in the room, but at night it seemed more inviting. The only thing stopping her from entering at night was the fact that she did not feel wanted by her friends there. She felt bad for neglecting them for so long, and she wasn't too sure how to patch things up.

She knew that they still cared about her, Hoggle's concern about her injury last week showed that. But she knew he carried some resentment for her ignoring him for so long. Why else would he have pushed her out the door so fast once he saw that she was fine?

Sighing, she got back to filling out her resumes. Her room was now filled with furniture. A bed and a nightstand stood to her left and she was able to squeeze in her desk as well. The only other piece of furniture in her room was her treacherous wardrobe. The was an absence of clutter to make the room feel homey, since she had just moved in around a week ago. A flimsy lamp was the only company she had on her desk.

She sat back in her chair massaging her aching hand. She had been sitting at her desk for hours trying to come up with things to list on her resume. Somehow she didn't think that anyone would take seriously, " _Ran a ginormous Labyrinth at the age of fifteen and succeeded in under 13 hours"._

Her dad and step-mom had given her two months to find a job, in the mean time they would pay for her rent. So far she had sent out five resumes, but she wasn't feeling all that into it. Neither did the people who she was applying for. Apparently her job experience wasn't quite enough. She had a great job before moving here, but the store had closed down. Now she wasn't so sure what she wanted to do anymore. For a while, the bookstore that she had worked at was her life. She had become great friends with the co-workers and the regulars. Since it closed down, she didn't think she could find another job she loved just as much as before. _I wonder if that antique shop is hiring,_ the thought crossed her mind, _maybe I could find out more on the origins of this wardrobe..._

* * *

Jareth sat in his study considering the situation at hand. He had not looked in on Sarah for quite a while, until Hoggle had reported the wardrobe a week ago. Of course, he'd steal glimpses of her at least once in a few months or so, but never too often and never for too long. Just long enough to see that she was in perfect health. Perhaps, as of lately he had gone too long without checking in on her. The girl had somehow found a wardrobe that served as a portal to his kingdom, after all. Now he had been checking up on her daily since he had found out, but she seemed to avoid the wardrobe.

 _No ordinary girl, at all..._ He thought bemusedly to himself. How she got herself into these situations, he will never know. Magic was drawn to her. But better she find a portal to his kingdom than anyone else. Not that anyone else would ever be able to solve the labyrinth far enough to pose any threat.

With a quick gesture of his hand, he summoned a perfectly round crystal. He gazed into it and focused hard enough to summon an image inside of it.

Sarah appeared inside the crystal, apparently very concentrated on something. She was reading over papers and stacking them together neatly. That was when Jareth got a glimpse of a wardrobe off to the side of her. He was barely able to see it, but it was large and very elegant looking. She had been avoiding the wardrobe for a week, and he simply could not allow that. Smiling mischievously to himself, he made a small gesture with his finger and the wardrobe inside the crystal creaked open slightly.

Sarah paused in her organizing, but continued after a second of nothing happening. His smile broadened, and he made another slight gesture with his finger, causing the wardrobe doors to creak further open. This time, Sarah's image in the crystal peered cautiously at the wardrobe doors for a second before she shook her head and began stacking more papers together.

He tsked slightly, and this time he used his magic to make the wardrobe doors open slightly further, making sure they made a loud groaning noise. Sarah stopped completely in her task. He watched her through his crystal as she slowly turned towards the wardrobe before she stiffly stood up.

 _Oh, this situation is going to play right into my hands,_ He thought and couldn't keep the wry smile forming from his lips. The Goblin King made a large swift gesture and the wardrobe doors swung open, banging loudly as they did. Sarah jumped in panic. She then quickly scampered out of the room. Jareth could barely make out her mumble something like, "Phantom goblins..."

"Well, we can't have you running now, can we?" He said furrowing his brows. With another gesture the crystal disappeared, and he sat with his feet on top of his desk contemplating his next move. The Goblin King could not help but to create a game out of these circumstances.

It's in his nature of course.

* * *

 **As always thank you for reading and constructive criticism is appreciated. :)**

 **Also, to answer your question Celebwen Telcontar - I'm not going to include them as a major character. I am debating, however, to have maybe just one of them as a special guest in a chapter... Nothing too major that would effect the story either way.**

 **And also Honoria Granger - You guessed it. But that does not mean Jareth isn't going to twist the situation into his favor.. ;)**

 **I would like to thank everyone for their reviews, also. It means a lot to me to have your support. Especially when I'm just starting out this story.**


	4. The Labyrinth

**Hey guys! So, it's definitely been a while since I've updated. I went on vacation for a week and when I got back I have not had time to do much writing. But! My muse has returned! Also, I do not own the Labyrinth! :/**

 **Enjoy. ;)**

* * *

Sarah slept on the couch for a week after certain "strange events" had happened. It was almost like someone was beckoning her to the wardrobe. Every time she was alone in her room the wardrobe doors seemed to creak open in an ominous sort of fashion. Even simply just going into her room to grab her clothes, that were now stored in a box under her bed, got a response from the wardrobe. It seemed to know her presence. She shivered slightly at that thought as she made her way to her kitchen. It was early in the morning, and lately she had settled for enjoying a cup of coffee in the kitchen. She used to sit at her desk and drink coffee every morning to relax, but since her desk was placed in her bedroom Sarah now found herself settling for sitting on the counter in her plain kitchen.

The white floor tiles were cold on her feet, but she refused to go back in her room to get slippers. Nope, she would not be going in there anytime soon except for necessities. Some part of her brain reminded her that this whole idea was impractical, and totally over-dramatic, but she shut it up quickly. Of course avoiding the wardrobe was a reasonable idea… It's a portal to the underground for heaven's sake! Not only that, but the doors would slightly open every time she glanced at them!

Quickly, she pushed that thought out of her head. No, she was **not** going to think about that wardrobe today. It gave her too much stress. After grabbing her first cup of coffee, she rescued her poor feet from the cold hard floor by plopping herself onto the kitchen counter. She was a young adult with an average height of 5'4, so her feet were left swinging in the air, and every now and then she would lock her ankles together.

Silently, Sarah sipped her coffee and found herself considering her options for entering the wardrobe… Obviously, something wanted her in the labyrinth. The wardrobe would not have gotten into her hands if not, but what if that something was not a friendly something? What if she went back into the labyrinth and she could never leave again? What would her family think? That she suddenly just disappeared, or perhaps she was suddenly kidnapped, or maybe she just ran away from her responsibilities? She wondered if a certain king had anything to do with the situation she was in. Hopefully, he held no grudge over the last time they had seen each other. She wondered briefly if she decided to sell the wardrobe what would happen? Would he get mad? He has got to be the one behind this, of course.

Well, it does not matter right now, Sarah decided as she pushed all thoughts of him out of her head. No good in thinking about him, she had babysitting plans today, and thinking about the Goblin King is the last thing someone wants to do when babysitting. Besides, she could not bare to let the wardrobe fall into anyone's hands besides herself. No one else knows the dangers of the labyrinth, especially it's king. The dark-haired woman shook her head, once again trying to forget about him. She needed to think about her schedule today.

Karen had decided to give her a little extra money if she took care of Toby tonight. Her father and step-mother liked to go on monthly dates. It was sort of cute now that Sarah thought about it, and she smiled slightly at the thought of doing that with a future husband. Although, as a teenager she had hated those dates because it meant she would have to stay home and take care of the baby. Sarah frowned at the thought of how selfish she had been. In fact, she had hated the idea of doing anything that she did not want to, even if it helped others. Luckily, a quick trip into the labyrinth had changed that. She frowned again and then tried to push the labyrinth out of her mind. No good obsessing over it, not today. Today was going to be a relaxing day. _Not_ a labyrinth day, no, not today.

She could deal with the labyrinth another day.

Sighing, Sarah washed out her now empty coffee cup in the sink and hopped off the counter before she decided to brave going into her bedroom to throw on some clothes. First, she would have to pick up some things and the store, then she would have to cook dinner for Toby. She had an interesting day ahead of her. Later she would decide that the word "interesting" was an understatement.

* * *

"Knock, knock!" A young boy yelled as he bounded through Sarah's front door. Sarah jumped slightly at his sudden arrival. Then checked the clock on the kitchen stove to see that he had arrived exactly on time.

"In the kitchen!" The young woman called back. "Should never have given him my apartment key…" She mumbled slightly as she continued preparing their dinner.

"Hey Sarah!" Toby smiled brightly as he entered the kitchen. Said kitchen was filled with grocery bags and two pots were cooking on the stove. Sarah was in the middle of breaking dry noodles in half and pouring them into one of the pots.

"Whatcha makin'? Dad said I could have _anything_ I want at your house!" He threw his hands up dramatically as if to express the importance of his statement. Not that the young woman cared, she just turned and smiled at her younger brother.

"Yeah? When did he say that?" The young woman raised an eyebrow.

"Well, right before we got into the car. Dad said, and I quote, 'If you will just behave for five minutes you can have _everything_ you want at Sarah's house!'" He mimicked in a deep voice while scrunching his face. Sarah rolled her eyes, of course. Her father and stepmother were having a tough time with Toby right now. They could not keep up with how hyper he has been lately. Karen had called her the other day saying she needed a break, and that 'The kid has been too high-maintenance recently'.

Sarah had brushed it off, every normal kid acted like this. He's just being a normal boy, or at least that's what she had been telling herself since the labyrinth. Hoping that the touch of something magical, if only for a few hours, had not been enough to alter his life, or him.

"Oh, gross, Sarah. What _is_ that?" Toby grimaced while pointing to the pot on the stove filled with tomato sauce. Sarah shook her head in amusement. Nope, just a normal ten-year-old little boy, albeit a little outspoken, though.

"Hey…" She scowled, "That, my dear friend, is the world's best spaghetti sauce!" She shook her finger at him for good measure.

He peered into the pot of said World's Best Spaghetti Sauce. "It doesn't _look_ like the world's best spaghetti sauce to me." He said while making a disgusted face.

Sarah placed her hands on her hips, "Alright, if you're going to judge my cooking then out of the kitchen with you." Her voice was firm, but her eyes shown amusement. Toby very clearly caught onto the amusement in her eyes, because although he made a pouting face in reply, his eyes shown amusement as well.

"Well, what am I going to do, then?" He crossed his hands over his chest, his lower lip sticking out as he pouted.

"Well," Sarah paused as she made her way over to the pot. Green eyes peered into the pot, and the woman, too, grimaced at the sight of The World's Best Spaghetti Sauce. "More like The World's Best _Bog_ Sauce…" She muttered and began stirring it with a wooden spoon.

"What?" The young boy spoke up, clearly impatient. Sarah looked back at him and smiled. He looked like the true image of his mother... Pouting and all. She stifled a giggle at that thought, but he did resemble Karen. Same blonde hair and blue eyes… Sarah blinked at the image of someone else with blonde hair and blue eyes, and shook her head before it started filling up with thoughts about _him_. What was with her and thinking about the labyrinth today?

"Well," the woman continued as if she had never been lost in thought, "I've got some puzzles in my room if you'd like." He made a face at the mention of puzzles. "I _also_ have the game Clue on top of my desk that I got today. I bought it just 'cause I know it's your favorite." She added quickly.

His mouth made a perfect 'O' before turning into a bright, excited smile. "Thanks Sarah! I'll get everything together while you finish cooking!" He was already out of the kitchen and shouting by the time he finished his sentence. She congratulated herself on getting that game. He had told her once how much he loved it when she had picked him up from a friend's house. Smirking, she turned back to the pot of sauce, her smirk fell when she saw it bubbling not unlike the Bog of Eternal Stench had ten years ago, it even seemed to make the same grotesque noises. The tomato paste did not even look red anymore, it had an odd shade of brown.

"Alright, popcorn it is then." She decided and sighed while dumping all of her hard work into the garbage disposal. She had really been craving spaghetti, but it seems that it has lost its appeal.

She had completely forgotten about the wardrobe.

* * *

The Clue game was sitting before him on a dark wooden desk; the desk making a perfect pedestal… The box seemed to radiate brightly, and the young boy felt as if his whole day had been leading up to this moment. His eyes had widened significantly, and his mouth was half open in awe. He had wanted this game for years now, and he had put it on every wish list possible. He begged his parents for it every year on Christmas and his birthday, but every year they had forgotten. Sarah was truly the best sister in the world.

Toby could hardly contain his excitement and he squealed slightly as he reached for it, then he paused. Boys did not squeal. He looked around to make sure Sarah had not entered the room, but it remained empty. When he saw he was still alone he let out another excited noise, but this one was more manlier, of course, because boys did **not** squeal. That was something girls did.

Finally, he held the board game in his hands. As he began to open the lid anxiously, a slight creaking noise made him pause. Toby looked around, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"Sarah?" He called, wondering if she was messing with him.

"Just a minute! I'm making popcorn." The young woman called back from the kitchen. Thank goodness, he thought, that spaghetti looked as appealing as swamp water. The young boy cringed and made a sour face. Forgetting about the sudden noise he had just heard; he returned to pulling off the top of the box, and just as he had barely lifted it another creaking noise sounded.

Blue eyes looked around nervously, he had never quite gotten over his childish fear of monsters in the closet. Sarah's room held no signs of monsters, of course. It was bare. Just a bed, a nightstand, a desk and a wardrobe - wait, had those wardrobe doors been open when he had first come in here? The doors, in question had not been open when he had come in here Toby decided, but now they were parted slightly.

He scratched his head in confusion and tried to think rational. That is what his dad always told him when he had complained of seeing goblins under the bed as a little boy. "Think rational… It's the wind." He said out loud, then repeated it in his head, trying to convince himself that it was true. _Just the wind_. _Just the wind._ Although, no windows were open, the bedroom door was closed and the AC was not currently on.

The wardrobe doors began to part once again before his eyes, groaning as they opened slowly, and Toby took a cautious step back. Clutching the box so tightly in his hands that his knuckles began to whiten.

"Sarah…" He whimpered.

"Hang on a second!" He heard her call back from the kitchen. The young boy was practically shaking now. What would happen when the doors opened up completely? Would a ghost pop out? Or the boogeyman, maybe? His dad always told him if he did not behave that the boogeyman would get him, and today he had not particularly 'acted his age'.

Before he could have anymore time to think about how _good_ he had behaved today; the wardrobe doors paused. Now fully open before him, Toby realized that there was nothing inside the wardrobe at all. Sarah had never even put her clothes in there. The beautiful wooden relic was completely empty. No boogeyman, ghost or goblins!

Blue eyes squinted, and his head tilted. "What…?" And before he could even finish that word a bright shining image appeared inside of the wardrobe. The back wooden wall was no longer visible, but instead it looked as if it was an open doorway.

The board game dropped from his hands to the floor, now forgotten in his absolute shock. Items inside the Clue box spilled out on the ground, but the boy was unresponsive to this. Instead, the boys mouth hang open, and his eyebrows were pulled tightly together as his eyes widened. He felt terrified, and yet, he felt awe and wonder; for the image that had appeared inside the wardrobe was a maze. Not just any maze, but a vast beautiful labyrinth.

And in the center of the labyrinth was a very, very visible castle.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Please tell me what you think! Your reviews are ever so helpful!**


	5. Turn of Events

**Alrighty, chapter 5 already! I had planned to update it sooner, but things came up. Anyway, here it is! As always, I do NOT own the labyrinth in any way.**

 **I'm wondering if I should start naming these chapters?**

 **Eh, oh well.**

 **Enjoy and thanks for reading! :)**

* * *

"Hey, Toby I made us…" Sarah froze when she opened her bedroom door. The room was completely empty with no sign of the young boy anywhere.

"Toby," She called stepping into the cold room, "Toby are you in here?" No reply was given, and the girl frowned in uncertainty.

The young woman looked around her room, and she spotted the abandoned board game opened and scattered across her bedroom floor. It looked as if it had just been carelessly dropped, which should not have been the case considering how much Toby had wanted it. He knew better than to damage his toys. Carefully, Sarah stepped further inside her bedroom.

Something felt off.

Almost like the feeling of stepping into a haunted house or a crime scene right after the incident. Granted, she had never felt comfortable in here with the wardrobe before, but now it had a dreadful feel to it. It felt violated somehow... Wrong... Like the room held a desperate secret from her reach. She tightened her clutch on the bag of popcorn she was holding.

"Toby?" Her voice wavered. A memory shook her thoughts and filled them with dread.

A night ten years ago where a mistaken wish had changed her life. Someone had taken the very boy she had just called out to, and they had refused to give him back. She had begged and begged in absolute fear of what was to happen, fear that whatever would happen to her brother would be out of her control, but in the end she had won against all odds.

She always figured that if she had not won the man who had taken her brother never would have offered to give him back. Sarah felt for sure she would have never of had a chance to see her brother again, and she knew the Goblin King would not have even felt any remorse for stealing her brother away.

He was cold.

At this thought, green eyes narrowed on a wardrobe. The wardrobe itself looked irreproachable, as if it had played no part in the crime that likely just took place here, but Sarah knew better.

The woman's hand was shaking as she slowly placed the bag of popcorn that she had been holding tightly on the desk beside her. Gradually, the dark-haired woman withdrew her arm from the bag, as if she was trying not to alarm anything that might still be in the room. If you had paid no attention to her trembling hand, you would have thought that she looked calm and in control of the situation.

However, the girl felt far from it.

Cautiously, Sarah walked towards the wardrobe while crossing her arms across her chest and holding them. This subconscious action was not an insecure one, but a way of comforting herself in the situation. The wooden doors of the elegant wardrobe for the most part were shut, but as she neared it she saw that one was slightly ajar. This only confirmed her rising suspicions.

Her eyes widened in complete fear. Not fear for herself, but for her younger brother. He did not know the dangers of the labyrinth. The young boy did not know that his sister had ventured through there to save his life. Toby did not know that a king resided there who would no doubt see this as an opportunity.

If he did not know the dangers of the labyrinth there is no way he could protect himself against them.

* * *

"Your majesty!" A frazzled goblin bolted into the loud and busy throne room. "Your majesty!" He stopped before the throne, drawing in quick breaths. The goblin had a small stub for a nose, large ears peeking out from an oversized helmet and an underbite that could put anyone to shame. His beady eyes gazed at the indifferent king, searching for approval.

"Yes Wiznic?" The king drawled, bored of the conversation already. He sat upon his throne with his feet up on the side. He was dressed in a dark velvet shirt that was half open, his pants were -as usual- tight and he wore his black boots and gloves.

Jareth had been waiting all day for something to happen, his plans to get the _girl_ into the labyrinth had been harder than expected. Everytime he thought he had her, she seemed to slip right through his fingers again.

Over the years, the Goblin King had not given Sarah much thought. Out of respect for her, he had given her space. She had won the game, and he could see that she deserved to be left alone. Jareth had allowed himself to check in on her once in awhile, but never too often or for too long. It angered him to know that she had pushed him out of her mind.

Now, things had changed…

The wardrobe had given him more incentive to once again be apart of her life. He had been curious over the years about what she was like now. This was an opportunity; this was a chance to somehow turn her world upside down once again. He loved to know that she would think of him. That he could come across her thoughts. It brought him satisfaction. It was some form of control, some way to influence her.

How he loved messing with her.

"-in the Labyrinth!" The goblin cried, breaking the king from the dark turn his thoughts had become.

"What?" Jareth shouted irritably, not really listening. He was annoyed deeply today. Every time he would check in on Sarah through his crystals, it seemed that she was avoiding the wardrobe completely. None of his plans were working. He could hardly understand how a young girl could constantly fool _him_. He had lived for centuries. _Him_ , the _Goblin King_ , usually prided himself in knowing how do manipulate people. It was in his upbringing, his parents taught him the games that they played against dimwitted mortals challenging them in the Labyrinth. Jareth knew how to deceive and fool the smartest kings and queens of other kingdoms, and yet... things never went right with Sarah.

So in desperation, although he would never admit it, he had sent a goblin to that tiny objectionable thing she called her house. The goblin had ran off to the aboveground with the orders, 'I don't care how you do it, get the girl into the labyrinth!'

Alas, the last time he had checked, the girl was still in fact not in the labyrinth. She had been cooking dinner completely unaware, and in his complete frustration the Goblin King sent a spell through his crystal and spoiled her spaghetti sauce. A childish act, really, but it did make him feel slightly better. He had been amused when she had compared it to the Bog of Eternal Stench, but since then he had not looked in on her. With that thought on his mind he decided to ignore the goblin that was pestering him and he conjured a clear and perfectly round crystal, preparing to summon her image inside the crystal.

"Sire!" The goblin interrupted him with a pleading voice.

"What?" Jareth rubbed his temple with his free hand, already warding off an oncoming headache.

"Ritpit could not get the girl into the labyrinth himself-" Wiznic began to explain.

"-Mhmm?" Jareth was still trying to focus on the crystal and was becoming increasingly annoyed with the situation.

"-So he got the little boy in, instead." Wiznic finished, pleased with himself.

After a second the Goblin's words registered in the King's head. "What little boy?" The goblin king barked. He,somehow with grace, threw the crystal ball into the air where it vanished suddenly and he turned his attention to the goblin standing before him.

The goblin himself was becoming terrified. He thought for sure the king would be proud of getting at least _someone_ into the labyrinth.

" **The** little boy, sire. Little Jareth!" He took a hesitating step back, squirming uncomfortably, his beady eyes searching the king's for approval.

"Little Jareth? What the blast _are_ you-" The king's eyes widened in realization, before he quickly schooled it back into his mask of indifference.

"Ritpit got little Toby into the labyrinth?" Jareth inquired, his voice turning dangerously soft in thought.

"Yes, your majesty." Wiznic was trembling in his over-sized plated boots. Every goblin knows that the king becomes quieter before he blows up in anger.

The goblin gulped slightly, "We... We thought-"

"-Obviously, you did **not** think." Jareth interrupted. "If you had stopped to think, your tiny insignificant brains might have considered the fact that the _little_ _boy_ is **not** who I asked for." The goblin king stood up, drawing the rest of the goblin's attention in the throne room. The room fell into a quiet hush, and all eyes turned to the vexed king.

"No, Sarah will not like this." His eyes become cold. She was always so quick to call him the villain. This definitely overturned everything he had devised so far. He had carefully planned his next meeting with Sarah, and it had nothing to do with her brother.

"In fact, whom did you think she would blame for the disappearance of her brother…?" He took a step closer to the fearful goblin, looking down upon him with coldness. The rest of the goblins starred in anticipation for the impending outburst, but it never came.

The goblin king paused, becoming a statue of indifference, before he calmly sat back upon his throne once again. Draping himself across his throne with casual grace he drawled, "No, she will blame _me_." His voiced boomed throughout the throne room.

"But let her blame me," His voice began to hold conviction, "She will come to me in her defiance, looking for her brother…" He paused, a smirk forming on his lips.

"... and she will be led right into my arms." Jareth finished with his eyes full of mischievousness. He cackled wickedly.

The rest of the room was silent; the goblins waiting for the goblin king to continue with a reprimand for the still quivering goblin named Wiznic. Their eyes shifted from the Goblin King to Wiznic, expecting him to be sent straight to the bog. The king had been more strict these days, after all.

"Well," Jareth called, "Laugh."

Wiznic wiped his hand across his forehead and sighed in relief, as the room bustled with laughter, before he promptly fainted from the overwhelming emotions he had just endured, while unintentionally, from the Goblin King.

The Goblin King stopped laughing abruptly, as the surrounding goblin's laughter continued. He stood from his throne, ignoring the unconscious Wiznic on the floor by his feet and called out, "Summon the dwarf Heggle to me," He paused and glanced unconcernedly at Wiznic, "And someone get him out of here!" He demanded.

The Goblin King's smirk returned as he set off to make plans.

The crazed goblins continued laughing. Although, they had no idea what they were laughing at anymore. Wiznic was dragged out of the throne room by his feet, staying unconscious most likely for self-preservation.

* * *

 **And there is chapter five! Please favorite/follow (I am not above asking).**

 **Also, constructive criticism is very helpful (That's another way of me saying 'Please review!').**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	6. I Don't Want to Betray You

**Oh man, it's about to get interesting.**

 **As always, I do not own the Labyrinth.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

Hoggle was nervous. He was a coward by nature, running away from home to the Goblin Kingdom to pursue gardening might seem like a big step, but to his family it was his first step in the life of a coward. The dwarf had been afraid of certain responsibilities that came with dwarven alchemy and healing. Life spraying fairies with Fairiticide and up-keeping a natural homely garden had seemed like an easier route than healing.

Although now, in times like these he wished he had pursued alchemy.

"Oh, man. This is like the coolest thing ever! I feel like I'm in one of those Lord of the Rings movies!" A small young boy paused and stared at Hoggle, scrutinizing his facial features. "You aren't a Hobbit, are you?" Blue eyes studied him, almost skeptically.

The kid annoyed him, but he was beginning to grow on Hoggle.

"No I's ain't." Hoggle replied irritably, "I'm Hoggle." He scratched his backside, a nervous habit he had developed from being around the king too often. It had started as a way to stall a conversation; to show that rat that he did not threaten him, but after all these years it had become an actual nervous habit.

"Hogwart? Like the school?" The boy asked, staring at him in wonderment.

"What?" The dwarf barked, "Urgg, _no_ , it's _Hoggle_!"

"Ohhh, sorry Hedgehog." The boy apologized unsympathetically and Hoggle let out a defeated sigh.

"Now," Hoggle made his way through the small room, "If you's gonna stay in my house I's got some rules."

" _Rules_?" Toby gasped. This was a fantasy land! Fantasy lands aren't supposed to have rules!

Hoggle grunted, not caring for the boy's sudden distress about house rules. "Rule number one: No shoes inside the house." The dwarf narrowed his eyes on Toby's sneakers. "It gets the floor all messy."

Toby looked down and noted that the small cottage had dirt floors.

"Rule number two," Hoggle's crotchety voice continued, " Don't ask too many questions. I ain't got all the answers."

Toby nodded, deciding just to humor the grumpy old dwarf.

"And rule number three: Don't touch anythin'." The dwarf hobbled to a nearby dusty chair and sat down with a grunt. Dust particles flew up at the impact of Hoggle meeting the seat, and Hoggle coughed slightly.

Toby peered around the dimly lit cottage. It was not the prettiest thing he had ever seen, and he would not want to touch anything even without the dwarf's warning.

He looked at the mess of clutter. Bottles, books and papers laid here and there, but these things helped add a sense of character to the house. It looked a little lonely, but it also looked loved. Tattered blue curtains hung over a small window by the wooden front door and a stained rug laid under the dusty chair. There was a hammock at the corner of the room, no doubt Hoggle called that his bed, and there was a furnace at the front of the room.

Despite all of these unattractive things, the house felt warm. Candles were lit throughout and drawings and letters were placed beside them. Toby walked over to an end table placed by Hoggle's occupied chair to study a letter. It did not say much, from what Toby could gather, but it was obviously written from a friend who called himself Sir Didymus. In the letter Sir Didymus was talking about some far-away quest on his trusty steed named Ambrosius.

Toby looked up in thought, envisioning Sir Didymus. He imagined a tall, bulky man, with plated armor and a large, powerful white-maned steed who was as fast as the wind. He probably knew how to wield a heavy sword, and was a very powerful warrior. Toby looked over at the dwarf, who seemed to be uncomfortably shifting in his seat. Hoggle knew a knight? Perhaps Toby had underestimated him.

"So, uh, thank you for watching me until my sister gets here." Toby said, breaking the peaceful silence.

But the silence had been anything but peaceful for the guilt-ridden dwarf. "What? Oh, uh, yeahs, no problem." Hoggle shifted again in his chair.

"Is that chair uncomfortable?" Toby inquired, noticing Hoggle's uncomfortable movements. "We have some pillows I bet my sister could give you. You know my sister, right? You said you were friends with her." The young boy sat on the floor near the warm furnace.

"I, uh, of course I knows Sarah! She's my best friend, she is." Hoggle said and it sounded like he was trying to convince himself of it. "If she still wants me after this…" He mumbled.

"You know kid…" Hoggle began after a minute of silence. The dwarf stopped and studied the young boy. He looked well taken care of... and loved greatly. His clothes were higher quality than he had ever gotten while growing up. The boy was staring at the faded rug, playing with the loose ends as he sat before the furnace.

Oh, god, Hoggle thought to himself. He could not do it.

Hoggle gulped slightly, overcome with guilt and a sudden adrenaline rush. "Yous love your sister, don't you?" He asked as if that was what he was going to say all along.

"My sister?" Toby paused in playing with the loose strings on the rug and looked at Hoggle, "Oh yeah! She's the best sister ever." He smiled at the dwarf.

Hoggle gulped, "She loves yous a lot, then?" His eyes became creased with worry, but it went unnoticed to the beaming Toby.

"Then run kid." The dwarf said suddenly, the serious tone in his voice taking Toby by surprise. The boy's smile faded as he took in the frightened expression that was now plastered on the once friendly dwarf's face.

"What?" Toby asked, suddenly becoming alarmed.

Hoggle leaned forward in his chair and whispered with urgentness, "I says, **run** kid. Run before **he** gets here."

Toby stood up in terror. He had no idea who **he** was, but it did not sound good. Before he could ask anything a cold breeze filled the room. The candles blew out, and the temperature dropped steadily. The only light that filled the almost dark room was the furnace, and the furnace was slowly going out, it's light dimming quickly.

Hoggle stood alarmed as well, and Toby now realized that this was not a normal occurrence. The room felt cold, literally and figuratively. It had dimmed significantly, and Hoggle and Toby trembled slightly.

Then suddenly something happened. The room was now filled with another presence, but it was too dark for Toby's straining eyes to see. He saw the outline of Hoggle's figure that stood slightly in front of him tense, and Toby hugged his body in fear. A trait that his whole family had when reassuring themselves.

He felt, rather than saw, Hoggle draw closer to him, as if the dwarf was shielding him from something, protecting him even though Toby was several inches taller than him.

"Toby, when I's says so, **run**." Hoggle's voice raised unsteadily. Toby could hear the dwarf's trembling.

Silence seemed to drag on forever, although it had only been _seconds_.

"Heggle," A voice spoke out, "You did not follow through." It was a different voice from Hoggle's. It sounded almost… British? It also had an authoritative tone in it that instantly made Toby realize _this_ was the one who Hoggle had been talking about, and whoever this was he sounded slightly disappointed. Almost the same condescending and lecturing tone his teachers at school give him when he forgets his homework. _Toby, you didn't do your homework again?_

"I's was, I's…" Hoggle paused, his voice trembling. The dwarf took a deep breath and Toby saw his outline's posture straighten, as if he was summoning courage.

And Hoggle was.

"You's can't have him, Jareth." Hoggle's voice said sternly. Fear still laced his voice, but Toby felt safer. Good, the dwarf was on his side.

The room shuddered slightly, as if it did not agree with what Hoggle said. It got colder, and Toby was not sure how it was possible, like the room itself seemed displeased.

"Oh, I cannot?" The man's voice sounded in the darkness. It's tone portraying a mock-hurt.

"No you's can't! He isn't yours ta take!" Hoggle said, and Toby could see the dwarf's arms swinging in anger.

"Toby," The voice changed direction, taking Toby off guard. He knew his name? "Come here." It demanded softly, like a father to his son.

Toby's breathing intensified, he did not know this man and he was not going anywhere near him.

"No." Toby replied, his voice little, but stern enough. He took a step back.

"Toby…" The man began, impatience lacing his voice.

Hoggle interrupted the unapproachable man before he could continue, "Run, kid, **run**!"

And Toby drew in a quick breath, preparing himself to bolt out of the house and find the wardrobe. He should have never of gone with the dwarf in the first place, but it had been such a big place, and the dwarf had drawn him, saying that he knew his sister, and with promises of showing him around… And he had shown him around, all with the intention of gaining his trust.

Toby took the first step away from Hoggle, ready to run. He raised his other leg and before his foot touched the ground he vanished from sight, a yelp sounded from the boy and then he was gone.

"And you Hedgwart," The Goblin King's voice began coldly, and Hoggle felt him step closer. "You disobeyed my orders…" Jareth continued treacherously.

The dwarf trembled, suddenly all of his braveness melted away.

* * *

 **Please read and review!**

 **What do you think will happen next?**

 **What's going to happen to Toby, or Hoggle?**

 **What's Sarah going to do?**

 **And what does Jareth have up his sleeve?**


	7. Missing

**I do not own the Labyrinth or any of it's characters.**

 **I'm thinking I should start titling the chapters, but I'm coming short on ideas...**

 **If you could sent some neat chapter names my way, I might make it the name. I'm looking for names for the first chapter.**

 **Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Frantically, Sarah knocked on a large wooden door. The door belonged to a small, quiet cottage that seemed to shake at each pound the fist made when it made contact. The cottage itself seemed to be in a secluded area. Nearby was a dusty stone wall that marked the perimeter of the labyrinth, and to the right of the cottage was a forest with towering thick trees.

Sarah was dressed in a large sweat jacket with jeans and tennis shoes. She had known when Toby went missing that she was not going to be back home for a while, so she dressed comfortably. This time she had come slightly prepared, but she decided she would ask Hoggle for help with finding her missing brother..

Sarah bit her lip, waiting in silence for her dear friend to open the door. After waiting patiently for a minute, she stepped forward and began to slam her palm on the wood, not caring if splinters resulted. Sarah counted seven times. She had slammed her fist on the door, racking it from it's frame seven times before she stopped. The young woman took a step back, scrutinizing the small stone cabin. Her eyes shifted frantically over the stone, revealing the amount of trepidation bottled inside of her.

"Hoggle, it's me, Sarah!" She called, biting her lip anxiously as she waited for an answer. Sarah fidgeted for a minute or two before she became impatient.

No longer going to wait, she took another step forward and knocked several more times, "Hoggle, open up! Come on… I need you, Hoggle!" Sarah cried as she began jiggling the locked door handle. The door stayed in place.

Sighing nervously, she brought a shaking hand and brushed her hair behind her ear. She looked around for another entrance and she spotted a small feeble window next to the door. The young woman walked up to it, her body fidgeting and her mind on overdrive. She pressed her face against the window, knowing that she probably looked a little bit like a stalker, and she peered through the tattered curtains into the quiet cottage.

It was completely dark inside the cottage, but Sarah quickly noted that the furnace inside looked as if it had just been put out. He must of just left; Sarah's hoped shattered. She had just missed him. She clenched her first and closed her eyes, trying to sort through her panic filled mind what to do next.

Her brother was here in the labyrinth and Hoggle was nowhere in sight. She could only hope that wherever Toby was, Hoggle was with him keeping him safe. Tears started pooling in her eyes, but she forced them away. She was not going to waste any time on crying when she could be finding her brother. Sarah was overcome with protectiveness and worry, but she knew she would find him. She promised she would always keep him safe.

"My lady?" Far behind her a spirited voice questioned. Sarah's eyes snapped open in shock and delight. She turned her head to face the newcomers. "My lady!" The lively voice chanted.

"Sawah!" A deep, loud voice bellowed and a small energetic bark followed the voice, yipping excitedly.

Sarah turned around to see her old companions, and a large smile beamed on her face from the sight. Three friends stood together at the entrance to the dark forest that lay near the cottage. The small dog broke away from the group, bounding to her with exuberant movements. Ambrosius barked madly at the young woman, running and jumping all around her in pure joy. Sarah let out a giggle.

"My lady!" Sir Didymus called as he began to run towards her, Ludo following bellowing her name with complete happiness. Once they reached her they all enveloped her in a large warm huge, and Sarah took the warmth from the hug as much as she could. Her worries and fears started to calm slightly, she told herself everything will turn out okay in the end.

An alarming bark broke the friends apart. They turned to see Ambrosius standing before the door with his ears back. He growled and snarled at the door, but Sarah knew that it had nothing to do with the door itself, but what lay behind the door.

A quick glance at Sir Didymus and Sarah saw that he was nervous, too.

"Ambrosius, stop that at once!" Didymus lectured the dog. Ambrosius remained where he stood and continued barking a warning. "Ambrosius, come back here! There is nothing in that house but brother Hoggle!" He said indignantly, glancing at Sarah with what she was sure was embarrassment.

"Hoggle's not home." Sarah almost whispered, a troubled tone in her voice.

Didymus stopped his bickering with the dog, "He's not?" He turned to face Sarah, "But brother Hoggle said he would be here when we returned." The fox's face showed confusion.

"No…" Sarah walked up to the wooden door, standing in front of Ambrosius, "I think Hoggle is in trouble." She looked back at her friends, their faces were covered in worry. Didymus had just gotten a letter from Hoggle saying he would be there to welcome them back from their quest. They needed a few days rest before they decided to go back home to the Bog of Eternal Stench since it was ten hours away from Hoggle's house. Something must be wrong indeed if Hoggle was not home. Since Sarah's journey through the labyrinth Hoggle had kept every single promise, even the tiny one's most people would deem insignificant.

"Hoggle friend." Ludo said with a sorrowful frown, "Hoggle promise." He grunted as he walked towards Sarah, looking for comfort. She hugged him.

"Perhaps brother Hoggle needed supplies before we arrived?" Didymus offered, but there was still an underlying sound of worry in his voice. Ambrosius growled, clearly in disagreement. The group of friends glanced at him with worry, Sarah's fears about her brother were causing her to practically worry about everything.

* * *

"I want to go home." Toby whimpered.

"Soon, Toby. You have to continue the game just a while longer." Jareth, the Goblin King replied from his throne automatically, as if they have had this same discussion a million times.

Toby looked around the stomach-churning room with tears gathering in his eyes. Goblins crowded around him, crazed with nothing but alcohol in their stomachs. The room was a mess, and Toby thought that he would never complain about cleaning his room after this. He sat in a pit in the middle of the throne room, carefully avoiding spilled rotten food and other things that he could not identify. Every now and then he would have to duck out of the way of a flying chicken, and sometimes the king would nonchalantly kick a goblin away from his throne and Toby would have to duck from the flying goblin, too.

"But I don't want to play your games!" Toby cried, distress leaking in his voice. Any minute now he looked as if he would burst out in tears.

The Goblin King rolled his eyes at Toby's response, as if the boy was acting like a spoiled teenager on a pointless rant. "Just a few hours longer, my boy. Perhaps your sister will be faster this time." Jareth tapped his riding crop on his leg, impatiently looking at the clock.

Toby just wanted to go home; he wanted his sister to take him and bring him home. He knew his sister was on her way, Jareth had told him that she simply had to come here and get him, but Toby knew that he did not want his sister to see the Goblin King. The boy might be young and naive, but knew he was just bait for Sarah and he had no idea what the goblin king had in store for her.

"She didn't even wish me away! You don't need me here!" Toby argued, his face turning red. He clenched his fists, but refused to release his building emotions. It would either result in a violent temper tantrum or a breakdown in tears.

Jareth gazed at nothing, it seemed that he was lost in thought. He just continued to tap his riding crop against his leg, zoning out. After a few minutes Toby figured Jareth was not going to reply, but when the goblin king did, it surprised him and confused him.

"You don't know how wrong you are…" Jareth almost whispered.

* * *

"Ludo, we've decided. Break it down."

After half an hour of planning and discussing, they were drawn to the conclusion that Hoggle was not coming back. Ludo threw his large body against the wooden door, and it snapped in half almost instantly. He regained his balance after a second, and turned with a proud smile to face his friends on the other side of the cottage entrance.

"Ludo break door." He said.

"Good job, Ludo!" Sarah cheered at him. She gave him an encouraging smile that did not quite meet her worried eyes, but he did not seem to notice. Sir Didymus and Sarah entered Hoggle's cabin, but Ambrosius stayed outside still baring his teeth and refusing to go into the empty cottage.

Sarah peered around the dark room, "It looks different than the last time I was in here…" She whispered.

"You're quite right, my lady." Didymus whispered back, "'Tis colder in here."

"Ludo scared." Ludo joined in. Sarah walked up to him, looking cautiously around the cottage as she did so, and gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"Awe, it's okay Ludo…" Sarah said, knowing she was lying. This situation seemed to get worse by the minute.

The room was silent, except from their footsteps. It was no longer warm, it carried the mysterious and sorrowful feeling that an abandoned building did. As if it was mourning the loss of its owner. The candles and letters scattered around the room no longer gave it a welcoming character, but it seemed to cry that something was wrong. That something bad had just happened here. Sarah was almost sure that in her blinding worry she was over-exaggerating the room, but the looks upon Ludo's innocent face and Sir Didymus' knowing face told her that she was not the only one who saw it.

"Something bad happened here…" Sarah stated out loud what no one wanted to hear, and what everyone knew. The only answer was Ambrosius growling from the entrance of the doorway…

A warning of what was to come.

* * *

 **You guys don't know how excited I was to hit 40 followers.**

 **It like, brightened my entire day. :)**

 **What do YOU think will happen next...?**

 **Please read, review, favorite, and follow!**


	8. We Fell Pretty Far Down

**This got updated a little further down the calendar than I wanted it to, but I've been battling a treacherous cold.**

 **Thank you guys for your reviews, they really do inspire me to continue writing! As always I do NOT own the labyrinth. *Cries Internally***

 **Also, guess who meets who in this chapter? That's right, Sarah and Jareth.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

It was chilly inside the labyrinth, making Sarah glad that she had remembered her sweat shirt. The group could see their breathe swirl in front of their eyes. It had been fall in the aboveground and she noted that it seemed to be the same here. No one complained about the chilly air, but it was noticeable that they weren't comfortable. Toes and noses were cold, but they all trudged onward.

It was getting darker and Sarah hoped she would find Toby before the sun disappeared. They had all agreed that they could find Hoggle or Toby in the labyrinth, or perhaps both, and if they weren't in the labyrinth, the labyrinth was the only way to get to the castle. The castle, Sarah was loathe to admit, was their last hope at finding Toby or Hoggle.

They had stayed by Hoggle's cabin for another hour waiting, hoping that someone would show up. Unfortunately, no one did, and Sir Didymus finally admitted that something had indeed happened to Hoggle. Luckily, Didymus had known of another entrance to the labyrinth from Hoggle's house. He had planned on using it later that week after resting to return home, but sometimes things do not go as planned.

The path they walked was similar to the one that Sarah had entered when she had began her quest to save her brother ten years ago. Memories had become quite foggy over the years, but being here in the labyrinth renewed them. Leaves crunched beneath their feet, along with a few old branches laid here and there. The stone walls that stood on both sides of the group were cracked and had hints of glitter.

It was a pretty sight, Sarah allowed herself to think. Fog did cover the sky, which also covered the declining sunlight slightly. It seemed peaceful, like an early October morning. Everything was silent around them, but not a terrible silence. A tranquil silence.

However, the group of friends themselves did not feel peaceful at all. Their thoughts were filled with worry and confusion. Sarah could not decide whether a certain Goblin King was involved in her brother's disappearance, or her brother simply got lost in the labyrinth. She could not decide which would be a worse fate. Her brother could either be sitting in a cold, dark oubliette, or he could be sitting in the throne room with a cold, dark king.

The woman wanted to scream and shout that this was not fair, but her friend's confidence in her made her continue on. Sir Didymus encouraged her with his bravery, and Ludo encouraged her with his affectionate friendship. Ambrosius leaped and bounded in front of the group, excitedly leading them through the labyrinth. The group's minds were so filled with complex thoughts that they unwittingly followed the dog, not entirely caring where he led them. They simply hoped that whatever path they chose would cause them to stumble on their missing friends.

They rounded a corner, which was the first one they had seen in hours, and Ambrosius suddenly stopped, his ears perked up attentively.

"Onward, Ambrosius!" Sir Didymus called, lifting his red cane like a true knight.

Sarah looked forward onto the path they had just turned into. It looked the same as the previous one and seemed to be stretching on for miles and miles. Ambrosius cocked his head to the side, listening to something intently.

"Come my mighty steed, let us contin-" Sir didymus began but Sarah immediately shushed him.

"Didymus, listen." She whispered, furrowing her brows.

Then they all heard it, a faint scraping noise coming from behind them. The sun was now fully down, but they could still slightly see from the moonlight peeking through the fog. The scraping noise continued, and the object they heard seemed to be coming closer. They turned around to see it round the corner at the same time. It had come from the path behind them, a clear crystal rolling steadily on the stone ground. The sound they had heard had been its clear surface scratching against the stone as it moved.

The crystal began to glow, a bright blue color, and passed by them as if they did not exist. Sarah turned around swiftly to follow it, her hair swinging behind her, and she was startled. A shadow of a man stood a few feet in front of her, leaning against one of the labyrinth walls.

"You." She said, her eyes glaring at him, already accusing him, and rightfully so.

"Hello, Sarah." Jareth said, his voice was the same, yet it shocked her ears to hear it after so many years.

"Your majesty!" Sir Didymus acknowledged with a bow. The Goblin King ignored him, staring straight at Sarah. His mismatched eyes bore into hers, mischievously daring her to challenge him.

"You took him, didn't you?" Sarah said, not caring that she did not keep her anger out of her tone.

He gave her a knowing smirk, as if he was expecting her words. "So quick to assume, Sarah?" He said, pushing off of the wall and walking proudly to her. Sarah's eyes seemed to finally focus and her brain registered that he wore a leather jacket, much like the one he wore when he set the cleaners on her, and he wore black gloves and those tights. Sarah quickly moved her eyes to focus on his face. He was smirking at her, that fiend.

"What did you do to them?" She asked again, her voice strong. Green eyes stared harshly at him, and he simply stood there _smirking_.

"Don't be so vague, Sarah. I _have_ done a lot of things to a lot of people." He responded, just as vague as her question, she thought.

"Brother Hoggle was not in his house, Sire. We have reason to believe he has gone missing." Sir Didymus interjected. The Goblin King's eyes flickered to Didymus at the mention of Hoggle, before quickly returning to Sarah.

"So, you believe I have done something to your little _friend_?" Jareth pronounced the word friend with clear distaste.

"You have a habit of taking the people I love." Sarah quickly responded, with just the same amount of distaste, only directed at the Goblin King himself.

"Love?" He stood up straighter, his face becoming a mask of cold indifference, "You would love such a homely creature?"

"What's it to you?" Sarah was boiling, her face clearly showing it. He had no right, she repeated in her head, to talk about someone that way.

"It's just that…" He paused, pulling out a crystal and began to toy with it with both hands. His mismatched eyes looked back and forth between his crystal and Sarah. Sarah's eyes followed the movement the crystal made as he played with it, and it began to glow a beautiful bright blue. "... I would think you would have learned to chose your dear _friends_ wisely, by now." He continued, his eyes staring at Sarah intently as she concentrated on the movements of the crystal.

"Hoggle friend." Ludo said behind Sarah, breaking her from the spell like trance.

"You did do something to him, didn't you?" She practically gasped, now staring up at the Goblin King with wide green eyes. The crystal was a distraction, she realized. He was trying to lead her away.

"And what if I did, Sarah?" He simply replied, his expression seemed bored of the conversation already.

"How could you?" She _almost_ shouted, but kept her voice calm and leveled. The Goblin King, however, narrowed his eyes at her tone, his hands stopping in the movements it was making with the crystal.

"Everything I have ever done was with reason, Sarah." He warned.

"You're horrible." She took a step back, put off by his cruelness, her accusative eyes burning into his.

"Horrible, Sarah?" For a second he looked hurt, but it was quickly gone. His face had gone cold again, but his eyes were like an open window. His eyes showed brewing anger, and Sarah was frightened, but she did not back down.

"Give them back." She took a step forward, only allowing her anger to leak into her voice. "I want to see him." Sarah demanded.

Jareth raised an eyebrow, "You want to see him?" He began to juggle the crystal once again in his hands, "Your traitorous friend?" His eyes bore into hers as he raised the glowing crystal. Ambrosius growled from behind Sarah, startling her. She had almost forgotten her friends were there, but they remained silent as did Sarah. They watched the angry king.

"Very well, you shall have your wish." He threw the crystal at her, and Sarah quickly brought her arms up to protect her face. The crystal disappeared in the air before it made contact with her, and Sarah thought she heard the Goblin King say, "I have only ever granted your wishes," before the ground opened up beneath the group of friends.

They yelped as they fell, dropping into darkness, and Sarah looked up to see the Goblin King walk away, before she squeezed her eyes shut as her stomach dropped.

* * *

Toby was in a daze. It was way past his bedtime, but he stubbornly sat on the edge of the pit, refusing to sleep until his sister came. He glanced at the clock and noted that it was eleven at night. The empty throne looked like a perfect place to sleep on, but Toby stayed strong. The Goblin King had left ten minutes ago, not telling Toby where he was going. He simply stood from his throne and left unhurriedly without a word.

Toby shook the crystal he had and it glowed at the movement. Jareth had given it to him earlier, probably to distract him from the current situation. It did not do much, much to Toby's dismay, but the more he played with it the more it began to glow. Probably just a simple parlor trick, he assumed.

The throne room was finally quiet, as night had settled. Some goblins were passed out, either because of intoxication or simply being tired. The ones that were still awake were slightly quiet now, no longer bothering Toby as they had when he first arrived. They probably had grown bored of Toby's presence. Every now and then a slight snicker from the corner of the room would sound, but that was the only noise.

The king still had not returned, and Toby wondered if he, too, had gone to bed. The boy's blue eyes drooped slightly, and he tried hard to keep them open. Glancing at the clock he saw it was now eleven thirty, and the little boy decided that resting his eyes for a little bit would not hurt.

He laid on his side, hands gripping the crystal hard. Blue eyes slowly shut as the boy drifted off into sleep, luckily too tired to dream.

As the night continued on the goblins realized that the boy was asleep, and they politely avoided tripping over him or throwing things at him. Except for a few feathers, or two, because it was kind of funny.

After a while, the king returned. Toby was gently picked up, and the crystal rolled out of his hand, crashing to the floor with a resonating clang. The king paused and looked at the small boy in his arms, but the boy did not stir. Poor thing was exhausted from the hectic day.

He continued walking to his throne, and laid the boy on it, conjuring a blanket from nowhere. He placed the soft blanket over the boy and quietly left the room; with orders, of course, for the goblins not to disturb the slumbering boy.

Toby continued sleeping, every now and then letting out a loud snore that would send the room into quiet snickers.

* * *

 **Awe, the villain tucked his captive in to sleep. How cute.**

 **-Ahem, anyways please review, follow and favorite! Thank you guys for reading! :)))**


	9. To Forgive and Forget

**Enjoy! :)**

* * *

It took them seven seconds to fall to the bottom of the dark shaft. They hit the ground with large thuds, but were otherwise unharmed. The first thing Sarah noticed about the room they were now in was it was severely stuffy inside. Humidity clouded the heavy air, and it made the room several times more hot than it was supposed to be. The second thing she noticed was she could not see a single thing. Complete dreadful darkness filled the room and Sarah desperately pushed thoughts of The Pit and the Pendulum out of her mind.

She felt the surrounding ground around her with her hands, noticing it was basically stone covered with dirt and dust. Her hand then came in contact with something furry.

"...Ludo? Are you okay?" Sarah whispered into the silent darkness.

She felt the large mass of fur move, "Ludo… Scared…" He whimpered.

Sarah hugged the sniveling beast and waited for her eyes to adjust. "Are you okay, Sir Didymus?" She called out into the dark room.

"My well-being is satisfactory, my lady." His usually chipper voice said to her close left.

"Good." The young woman whispered. "Where are we?" She murmured.

Silence filled the dark room, then she heard movement in the far corner. Whatever it was, it was coming towards them. Sarah could hear the creatures feet dragging in the darkness, and she choked on her own fear.

Had the Goblin King thrown her into some sort of cave with a dangerous beast? Had he been that angry at her? Sarah scooted back, trying to pull Ludo back with her, as well.

"It's an oubliette." A scruffy voice came from the far corner where she had heard the movements. It was a familiar voice, too.

"Hoggle? Is that you?" She could not keep her shock and excitement out of her voice.

"Yeahs, it's me." He responded, and she heard the disappointment in his voice. Almost as if he did not want to see her.

He lit a match, much like he had done the first time she found herself in an oubliette. The match dimly lit up the room, and Hoggle huffed over to a small wooden table in the middle of the room. A lantern on the table was lit and Hoggle turned towards the huddled together group.

Sarah definitely noticed his appearance. He looked horrible, and that was an understatement. His sight made her suck in a breath. Hoggle had huge bags under his eyes, his skin had an unhealthy glow to it, he had bruises on his legs and arms, and his face expression had one of pure guilt.

"Hoggle, what… Are you okay?" She asked softly, not wanting to alarm anyone else.

"Brother, what has happened to thee?" Sir Didymus said, concern written on his small face.

"I happened." Hoggle said, holding himself in contempt.

"Did he hurt you, Hoggle?" Sarah stood and walked to him. He looked so miserable. "Did he put you in here?"

He just looked down at his shoes in response.

"Brother, dost thou know the way out?" Sir Didymus questioned.

"There ain't no way out." Hoggle growled. "I've tried for hours."

"Always… Way… Out…" Ludo said hopefully.

"Yous been spending too much time with the Wise Man." Hoggle snapped.

"No, I think Ludo's right," Sarah said, ignoring Hoggle's sudden bad mood, "Where there's a will, there's a way." She examined the walls of the oubliette, running her fingers over them to see if there were any hidden passageways. Hoggle just huffed in response.

Suddenly, as if to lighten up the mood, a large comical sound reverberated across the oubliette walls.

The group held their breath, not sure how to respond to the noise.

"I do not see how flatulence helps the situation, brother Hoggle." Sir Didymus curtly said after a moment, breaking the awkward silence.

"That wasn't me!" Hoggle argued, stomping his foot. Today was just not his day, Sarah thought humorously.

"Then who was it?" Sir Didymus piqued.

"Not… Ludo." Ludo responded, with what Sarah thought was a faster response from him than usual.

"My lady?" Sir Didymus gasped while looking at her, affronted. It was highly inappropriate for a proper lady to do such actions.

" _No_!" Sarah quickly defended herself. Frowning at the fact that he thought she would do something like that at a time like this.

"Well, then who was it?" Sir Didymus directed his question at the entire room.

"I don't see how it matters." Hoggle grumbled, while crossing his arms. He looked down at his feet, glaring at his boots.

The noise echoed again, and Sarah realized it was not coming from inside the oubliette. It sounded close, but yet muffled. As she looked around the room she noticed something different. Well, not quite different, but _something_ was missing.

"Guys…" She said suddenly, her face looked worried, "Where's Ambrosius?" She barely whispered. They stopped their bickering, Sir Didymus looking around the room quietly. The dog was nowhere to be seen, in fact, Sarah had not seen him since she had sassed the Goblin King.

She walked to the middle of the oubliette, and as she stood in the silence the noise sounded again. This time louder. It was near and curiosity drew her to the wall it seemed to be coming through.

"What _is_ that?" She tried to put her ear against the wall and it surprised her when her ear went right through the wall. "It's a passageway!" She cried.

"Way to go, my lady!" Sir Didymus cheered.

Sarah stepped through the passageway, her friends following close behind. It looked like she was inside the labyrinth again, and she turned to see Ambrosius patiently sitting there before her.

"Ambrosius found the doorway." She gasped, realizing why he had suddenly disappeared from them in the oubliette. He had somehow found the secret door out of it, and he had been patiently waiting for them this whole time.

"My mighty steed!" The knight called. Ambrosius tilted his head to the side as a loud noise resonated through the labyrinth walls, and it came from Ambrosius. They stood there in shock for a minute, simply staring at the dog.

"That is the last time I shall give thee dried meat on our quests, my steed." Sir Didymus simply remarked.

"Ambrosius… smell…" Ludo commented.

Sarah turned around to look at Hoggle. He stood off to the side, quietly. The dwarf looked miserable and Sarah could not figure out what was wrong with him.

"Shall we continue our quest, my lady?" Sir Didymus questioned, already choosing a direction to walk in.

"Yeah, just a minute." She responded and walked to Hoggle. She had no idea what had happened to him. The bruises on his arms frightened her, and he looked as if he had not slept in days. The last time she saw him he had been fine.

"Are you okay, Hoggle?" Sarah asked, raising her eyebrows in concern as she knelt down in front of him.

"I's think I's should sit this one out, Sarah." He simply responded and Sarah waited for him to elaborate.

When he did not elaborate, she responded humorously, "But it's tradition." She smiled.

"Sarah, yous don't want me here. I'll just get in your way." He glumly responded and Sarah's smile disappeared.

"Why would you think that, Hoggle?" She frowned, what happened to him in that oubliette?

"Because," He sighed, better to get everything off of his chest. "I'm a no-good-dirty-rotten traitor." He cried.

"Hoggle, I forgave you a long time ago, remember?" Sarah smiled reassuringly at him.

"I's did it again!" He angrily stomped his foot, but Sarah knew the anger was directed at himself. "I should have told that rat no, but I was a coward."

"What do you mean?" Her eyes became serious, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Jareth told me to give him your brother. I didn't want ta, but I was scared… I'm the reason you're looking for him." Hoggle said softly, "I's backed out last minute, but I's was too late. Now Toby and I had ta pay the consequence for me actions." He stood there avoiding Sarah's eyes, humiliation and guilt were clouded over his face.

"Ya shouldn't be my friend, you's should go on without me." The dwarf continued.

"Hoggle, I want you to come." Sarah put her hands on his shoulders, "If you won't come as my friend then... You might as well come to right the wrong you made. _Please_ , Hoggle… I need you, too." She was hurt by his betrayal, but she knew she needed him. She did not want to lose another friend, and he _had_ tried to back out last minute, or so he had said.

"You's need me?" He asked, his hopeful eyes finally making contact with hers.

"Of course I do." Sarah's green eyes looked into his, hoping he will agree to come with her. "Besides, you're my best friend." Sarah said.

"Oh, alls right." He conceded and Sarah stood up cheerfully. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Sarah could tell he still felt guilty, but right now they had better things to do and worry about instead of being angry.

"Alright, guys. Let's go get my brother!" She encouraged the group, choosing the pathway leading to the castle.

* * *

Toby awoke an hour later realizing he was no longer laying on the ground. Instead, he was seated on a throne. The Goblin King's throne, to be exact. Silently, he scolded himself for falling asleep. He made a promise to not eat, drink or sleep until his sister comes. The Goblin King had been slightly annoyed by his promise, but let him go on without interference. He probably figured he would give up, but he was not the sort of person who quit. No one in his family was.

He sniffed, his nose was still running from all the crying he did earlier. Toby hadn't let anyone see his crying. They were silent tears, leaking from his eyes every now and then, but the Goblin King must have known, because he had given him a crystal to distract him.

Movement in the corner of his eye got his attention. He had thought his only company in the room was goblins, but the Goblin King stood looking out of the large window in the throne room. He was silent and seemed to be studying his labyrinth for something. He looked lonely, staring peacefully at his labyrinth.

Toby wondered if he was who had placed him on the throne. "I didn't fall asleep." Toby already began arguing, hoping the king had not seen him break his own vow. He saw the king smirk in response, but he said nothing.

Toby stood up and walked groggily over to the king, rubbing his eyes. He stopped and looked out of the big window, staring in awe at the majestic labyrinth. "How's my sister doing?" He asked hopefully.

"She escaped my oubliette." Jareth simply replied, as if he was discussing the weather.

"What's an ooblette?" Toby looked up at the mysterious man.

"An _oubliette_ is a hidden dungeon." Jareth informed him, never taking his eyes off of the labyrinth.

"You put my sister in a dungeon?" Toby gasped. Images of roman torture devices filled his head, along with adventure movies whose dungeons included dragons.

Guilt flickered in Jareth's eyes and Toby noticed it, but did not say anything. "She was unharmed." He replied flippantly.

The king turned away from the window and summoned a crystal. "Would you like to see your dear sister?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Toby said excitingly. He tried to grasp for the crystal, but Jareth pulled it out of his reach.

"Tsk, tsk, Toby. I thought you would have learned by now." He rolled the crystal in his gloved hands, "Nothing comes without a price."

Toby looked at him with a completely defeated look. He did not respond for quite a few seconds, but when he did he responded in a small voice, "But all my money is at home… And I only have five dollars…"

The Goblin King chuckled at him before replying, "All I ask for is a simple question answered."

"Okay…" Toby looked at him with uncertainty on his face.

"Tell me," He looked up in thought, " Something most people don't know about Sarah." He asked nonchalantly, as if that was not something he was not really interested in knowing.

"Um…" Toby stared at the crystal with wide eyes. He really wanted to see his sister. It would not hurt to tell a little secret about his sister, would it? Besides, he thought, it's not really a secret, it is more of something about her that is not common knowledge.

"She, uh, she tells people her favorite color is yellow even though it's really blue. She says it cause she wants to be different, and most people like blue." Toby explained.

Jareth raised an eyebrow, "You can try harder than that, my boy."

"Hmmm," Toby stared at the crystal, hoping that he would be able to see his sister even if it was just a brief glance, but he did not. "She sings in the shower all the time, and it's really loud." When the crystal did not move, Toby tried again.

"Uh, once a year she would stay home from school and work and just read a book. It was the same book every year. I remember when she lived with us she would lock herself in her room and read it. When I asked her why she would do it, she would say it was her anniversary, but it never made sense to me because she's not married." Toby stammered, hoping it was good enough.

"What book would she read?" Jareth asked, intrigued.

"I never actually saw the title, but the cover was red and made out of leather. She never let me read it, though, and she would hide it from me if I tried to take it. That's why it was so weird." Toby explained.

Jareth was quiet for a minute. He seemed to contemplate the information he was given. "That is sufficient enough." He said and lightly threw the crystal towards Toby to catch.

"Yes!" He cheered and ran off to look in on his sister. He sat on the ledge of the pit in the middle of the throne room. He looked at the clear crystal and waited for his sister's image to appear. It remained clear and Toby shook the crystal. Her image still did not appear and Toby turned to complain to the Goblin King that it did not work, but the Goblin King was gone. He had vanished silently.

Toby turned back to the crystal in his hands, "Maybe it's a dud." He murmured. Just then the crystal flashed and his sister's image appeared in the crystal. She was standing with a few other creatures. One of them was familiar, Hoggle. The other ones he did not know.

She was in a gloomy forest, and standing before her was an old rickety cabin. She walked up to the wooden door and knocked. Toby suddenly felt unsure, this cabin did not look trustworthy. It was beaten up and falling apart. It hardly looked welcoming.

Suddenly, the front door opened to the cabin and Toby gasped.

"It's the wicked witch of the west." He said alone to himself.

* * *

 **Thank you guys for reading. As always, I do not own the Labyrinth!**

 **Please review, follow and favorite. It would make my day! :)**


	10. The Witch

**I do not own the labyrinth. *sighs***

 **The first thing that Hoggle says in this chapter was taken from the book the Scarlet Letter.**

 **Also, if you have read the original script of the labyrinth you would see that some of the things that Ludo says here are taken from it.**

 **I believe this is the longest chapter yet so please enjoy!**

* * *

"It's no use… There ain't no path ta lead us out of this dismal maze." Hoggle cried.

Sarah and the others ignored him. He had been complaining this whole time, and Sarah had a feeling it was his guilt eating him up. She felt kind of bad; she had never said she forgave him. It was more of putting the past behind them, and she could tell Hoggle felt unwanted even if he was not.

Sarah did not have time to worry about the past, though. Right now, she was worried about Toby. The Goblin King had him somewhere in his castle, and Sarah was not sure what could be happening to her little brother. She just hoped that her brother was not harmed.

She, on the other hand, was exhausted. It had been almost twenty-four hours since she had slept and her body was not used to walking for miles without rest. They were all tired, hungry and grumpy. Sarah had half a mind to just fall asleep on the hard ground inside the labyrinth, but not now. Not while she was so close to getting her brother back.

She was not sure what to do when she saw the Goblin King again. Sarah was not sure how to go about taking her brother back. Would he send them home, would he keep her brother and laugh in her face, or would he keep her and send her brother home? She did not know, and it scared her. This situation was out of her hands completely, and she figured the outcome was depending on how _generous_ or good of a mood the king was in.

After many twists and turns, hours of solving riddles, the sky showed signs of the sun's coming arrival. "Ah, here were are, my lady! The great Forbidden Forest!" Sir Didymus exclaimed, raising his cane in the air and halting his trusty steed Ambrosius.

"Sounds welcoming." Sarah sarcastically responded.

They stood in front of an open archway, on the other side lay the Forbidden Forest. It was dark, gloomy and despairing. All the things Sarah wanted to avoid, but could not.

"Forest… Woodland… Timberland…" Ludo recited.

"That's right, Ludo." Sarah smiled and patted him on the back. She sighed and walked up to the archway, "Last time I was here this was a door." The young woman said to herself.

"Door… Also… portal… or entrance…" Ludo looked up in thought.

"I's told you he's been 'round the Wise Man too much, missy!" Hoggle complained.

"Well, I think it's cute." Sarah said and smiled fondly at Ludo. The dwarf mumbled and moved past the group into the dim forest. Sarah shrugged and they followed him.

"My lady, if I may say, brother Hoggle has been quite ill-humored as of late." Sir Didymus said off to the side to Sarah.

"I think he just feels bad… When this is all over we can talk to him more about it." Sarah shrugged, not having much else to say about it.

They walked together into the forest and Sarah pushed images of her last encounter with the firey gang out of her mind. After she had completed the labyrinth she had partied with them in her room, but she was still not fond of the way they treated her during her journey. In fact, the only one who was not at her party was the Goblin King, and she was still not sure how she felt about that.

"Ludo… tired…" Ludo sat down in the middle of the forest, giving up after a few minutes.

"Come on, Ludo. Just a while longer and we can rest." Sarah encouraged. This was the last place she wanted to stop, a gloomy dark forest. She shivered at the thought of giant bugs or animals that might be hiding in the bushes and fallen tree branches.

"Ludo… sleep…" He sighed.

"My lady! Look, a cabin lays over yonder." Sir Didymus exclaimed, and indeed there was a cabin. It lay just ahead of them between the trees. It was either a poorly built cabin, or just a hundred years old. The windows were bright inside, casting away shadows from the early dawning morning.

"Perhaps we can rest there?" Sarah questioned. She was exhausted herself, but she was not quite sure what she should do. Sarah did not want her brother to be alone with the Goblin King any longer than need be, but Sir Didymus and Ludo had just returned from a long quest and they must be even more so tired than her.

They followed the direction of the dim light through the trees and Hoggle suddenly realized he was walking in a different direction than the others.

"Hey! Wait for me!" He called and ran after the group. Ignoring the stinging to his pride at the thought that they almost forgot him.

"Come on, Hoggle!" Sarah called back, not slowing her pace. She just wanted to find something to eat and perhaps rest her feet.

By the time Hoggle caught up to the group they were at the front door of the old cabin. Sarah knocked anxiously, she just wanted to find a warm bed and pass out. She was more exhausted than that time she had stayed up all night studying for finals and had not slept till the next night. After a few minutes of waiting, an old woman answered the door. Warmth flooded the groups senses as the rickety door was opened and light poured on them. The house was more inviting than a thanksgiving feast.

The old woman, Sarah briefly noted, was dressed in an odd fashion. She resembled a cross between a peasant in the medieval times and the stereotypical Halloween witch costume. She had a pointy hat, Sarah observed with humor, and if the woman had been holding a broom Sarah would have thought she was a witch.

The witch, as Sarah decided to mentally name her, was smiling very kindly at them, and welcomed them inside instantly. Telling them the forest was no good to navigate when they were so exhausted.

* * *

"Sarah…." A young boyish voice broke through her sleeping consciousness, disturbing her dream. Of course, her dream instantly accommodated to the voice, suddenly supplying her with an image of her brother standing before her. She smiled at the image, happy to have her brother next to her.

"Hey Toby! Do you like the carnival?" Sarah motioned to the roller coasters and games around them. The carnival was grand and happy, with people of all types beaming happily around her as they made their way to and from stands.

Toby's face did not change, in fact it was emotionless, looking only at her as if he could not see what was going on around them. "Sarah, you have to wake up."

She frowned at him, what did he mean? She was not asleep, she was at a carnival. Sarah shook her head at him and motioned to the ferris wheel in the background, his eyes did not follow her gesture, "Toby, want to ride the Ferris Wheel with me?" She asked, ignoring his narrowed and emotionless gaze.

"Sarah, come on. Sarah!" He said, but Sarah suddenly realized it was not coming from the image of her brother in front of her. Instead, his voice was coming from everywhere else. She looked around and noted that no one else seemed to hear this voice. It seemed distant, yet so close.

"I need you, Sarah. I'm at the castle, Sarah… Sarah!" His voice begged and trembled, and Sarah felt terrified at the emotion in his voice. She looked around, ignoring the image of her brother in front of her, realizing that this must be a dream.

She vaguely felt something farther away, as if her real body was in a different realm. Sarah knew her eyes were open because she would not be able to see the activity around her, yet it felt like in a different world they were closed, and she tried to pry them open with her mind.

Pulling at her consciousness, she heard her brother's voice begging her again and that was all it took. Suddenly, with a deep inhale of breath, her eyes snapped open, revealing a ceiling above her. As her dream and her brother's voice faded in her mind, she then remembered, her brother was in the castle at the center of the labyrinth.

Sarah sat up, looking around the room at the other beds. They were empty and Sarah realized her friends must have woken up before her and left her alone, decided to let her sleep. The smell of something cooking awakened her groggy senses. Her dad used to joke when she was growing up that all it took was food to get her to come out of her room.

She swung her aching legs out of the bed, ignoring the pain from all the walking she had done yesterday, and she followed the smell of food. As she entered the kitchen of the tiny, cramped cottage, she saw the witch cooking some type of soup in a cauldron. Sarah smirked, how typical.

"Good morning, dearie." The witch crooned, looking at Sarah as if she was special to her. Her rough, wrinkled face smiled. Sarah frowned, that smile looked odd and out of place on her, and she could not shake the feeling that there was an ulterior reason for the old woman's kindness.

"Where are my friends?" Sarah asked with a sleepy voice, and she pulled her fingers through her hair to make it somewhat presentable.

"I sent them out to get some things. No need to worry, child." The witch looked again at the boiling pot of soup and stirred it, getting ready to serve the appetizing soup.

"You sent them _all_ out to get some things?" Sarah frowned once again.

"Oh yes, it would have been rude to send just one of them. What if he had gotten lost? Wouldn't want that, now would we?" The witch put her hands on her hips. Sarah simply shook her head and sat down on the hard floor. There were no chairs in the entire house, Sarah recalled from memory. Just pillows, rugs and flimsy beds. There was only a fireplace, a table that the witch used to prepare food, and a few other medieval looking things. Sarah sat on a rug, one that resembled the elegant magic carpet from Aladdin, Sarah smiled at that thought.

"Here you go, young lady." The witch handed her a steaming bowl full of soup, and Sarah's mouth watered as her eyes widened. Soup had never looked more appealing than in this moment.

A few minutes later, the witch was sitting before her with a bowl of soup as well. Sarah had yet to eat the steaming soup, it was too hot and she had been raised to wait until the host had taken the first bite before she did.

The witch looked up in thought, and Sarah felt frustrated, waiting for her to eat so she could. She was just about to throw manners out the window when the witch began talking.

"I was once a young woman that was so very determined like you…" The old woman's shaky voice reminisced. Sarah raised an eyebrow, but stayed silent, looking up from her bowl and waited for her to continue.

"Did you know…" The witch stood, forgetting her bowl of soup and began pacing around Sarah, making Sarah feel awkward and frustrated, "...My family abandoned me?" The witch shook her head and laughed humorlessly, "I looked for them for _years_ before I realized they did not want to be found."

"I'm sorry…" Sarah simply said, not knowing what else to say. This old woman was strange, she had to admit, but she could relate. Her mother had left her father and her for a different, better life.

"You know," the witch's shrewd voice drawled, "We are so alike in so many ways…" The witch gave a sorrow smile, showing crooked teeth. Sarah was not sure whether to take her comment as a compliment or an insult. "So beautiful," the old woman continued, "So naive… Is that why you're in this labyrinth, darling? Are you looking for something?"

It sounded like a rhetorical question, but Sarah answered nevertheless, "Yes, I'm looking for my bro-"

The witch quickly interrupted, "-Or are you _lost_?" Her piercing eyes bored down into Sarah's green ones. Sarah held eye contact, feeling as if it was a challenge, even though her body wanted nothing more than to shrink away from the questionable old woman.

"No ma'am," Sarah said, somewhat sternly, "I'm just trying to get my brother home." She argued politely, not liking where the conversation was going.

"Oh darling," the witch shook her head, "You're _just_ like me." She tsked. Sarah put her spoon in her bowl and sat straight up, looking at the scrawny old witch with confusion, a scowl evident on her face.

"Maybe your brother doesn't want to be found. You haven't asked him, have you? Don't waste _your_ time. Listen… listen…" She knelt down in front of Sarah, reaching out her bony fingers and grasping Sarah's hand tightly. Sarah ignored the feeling of her skin crawling, like it was trying desperately to get away from this witch's touch.

Sarah glared at the witch, but the older woman ignored her. Shaking her head sympathetically, the witch continued, "I know how lonely you are. I know how you long for company…"

Sarah felt disgusted and creeped out at the nearness of the witch, and she tried to pull her hand out of the tight grasp the witch had on it.

The witch tightened her fingers painfully, "No! Stay. Stay…" Her beady eyes beseeching and she looked for something to convince the younger girl to stay, "I know your mother abandoned you… I know how you _feel_." The witch begged.

"How do you know that?" Sarah finally snatched her hand out of the witch's grasp and stood up with haste.

"It doesn't matter how I know, it matters that it happened…" The witch drawled, her hand still reaching out towards Sarah.

"She's lost her marbles.." Sarah whispered out loud to herself in realization.

The witch heard this and her eyes narrowed in anger, "I have not lost anything!" The old witch scolded and Sarah backed up. That probably was not one of the most wisest things she had ever said out loud, Sarah thought. There was something bad going on here, and Sarah needed to get out.

"Where are my friends?" Sarah asked, protectiveness shone through her eyes.

The witch ignored her, still holding onto her argument of reasons Sarah should stay. "Your mother did not love you… and you're afraid, child." Her beady eyes went soft, "You're alone and afraid. You don't want your brother to feel the same way, but he's abandoned _you_ , darling. Why else would he have left?" The witch stepped closer, and Sarah backed up a step, feeling the heat of the fireplace behind her.

"That's not true." Sarah growled, feeling defensive. No one wanted to be told that.

"We can fix it, darling…" The witch's eyes lit up excitedly, "We could do a spell to fix it all! Oh," She clapped her bony hands together, "I could fix it all for you. You could give _me_ a second chance. Let me be you!" The witch's crazed eyes beamed. Sarah shook her head, realizing what the witch was trying to do. "Just for forever… We can switch places!"

Sarah backed up further, her eyes darting around the room, looking for a way out. "Why would you want to be me?" She stalled when her eyes caught sight of the large cauldron full of soup.

"Because! Because… because I could do so much better. Darling, you've hardly taken advantage of everything you could." The crazy old witch gave a gleeful laugh.

"What would you have done differently?" Sarah said, slowly and cautiously inching towards the cauldron.

"Oh, so much! You take so much for granted… And love, darling, you could take so much advantage of the one that loves you, but you don't." The witch continued on, oblivious to Sarah's stalling and slowly walking closer.

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, her tone showing she was not quite listening. Her fingers were almost able to grasp the handle of the cauldron. Knowing it's heat would probably burn her, she had pulled her sweat-shirt sleeve to cover her hands. It would not do much, but it was better than grabbing it with bare hands.

"It could be so easy! You could have _everything_ you wanted if you took advantage of his love!" The witch continued, Sarah heard her words, but they did not register until later. "Let me do a spell, Sarah! Let me, I'll take advantage of it… I could get everything I ever wanted." Upon later inspection of these words, Sarah realized exactly whose love the witch was talking about, but in this point of time she had thought the witch was insane.

"Let me be you!" The witch closed in on Sarah, rambling on and begging desperately, completely unaware that the younger woman's hand now grasped the burning handle.

"I would never take advantage of the one's I love." Sarah said, slowly lifting the hot steaming cauldron up behind her.

"I could tell the king I love him… He's give me all the power. Sarah, take my hand, let me be you." The witch reached out and Sarah put another hand behind her to grasp the handle of the cauldron, ignoring the growing heat behind her.

"What does the _king_ have to do with this?" Sarah raised an eyebrow, and the witch realised she was stalling.

"Don't you know?" The witch's eyes finally showed a lucid moment, "The king of the goblins has fallen in love with you! Oh, let me do a-" She reached out and grasped Sarah's arm as the lucidity in the witch's eyes disappeared, the beginning of a spell taking place. Sarah felt the spell taking place, coursing through her veins and she fought it desperately. She could literally feel the witch's soul trying to pull her's out and possess her body.

Sarah pushed through the spell, holding herself in her mind and quickly interrupted her, "-Now, I _know_ you're crazy." Sarah growled and flung the cauldron of boiling soup at the witch. She felt bad it had to come to that, but she had made sure the cauldron would not hit the old lady, just the boiling soup. Nothing that would kill her, just hinder her as Sarah bolted out of the rickety cottage.

She did not look back once she was in the forest, even as the witch let out a terrifying scream of anger behind her. Sarah ran through the trees, ignoring the sting of impact the branches made when she pushed through them. She ran on adrenaline, trying hard not to cry at the violation that had almost happened to her. She had almost swapped bodies with a witch, but it did not happen, she reminded herself, so there was no reason for her to cry.

"Sir Didymus!" She yelled, hoping desperately they were close enough to hear her. When no one replied she tried again.

"Hoggle! Hoggle help!" Sarah bellowed.

"Missy?" She heard his responding cry, and she yelled back in glee, "Oh, thank God!"

She changed directions, following his voice through the forest, jumping over rocks and ducking under tree branches until she came upon a clearing nearby where he was standing. Sarah broke through the clearing and ran up to him. enveloping him in a huge, warm and thankful hug. Hoggle was surprised at first, but he quickly returned it with a concerned face expression.

"That witch tol' us ta go out and wait for yous, but I's knew better. I was coming back ta get yous, there was something off 'bout her." Hoggle told Sarah when she pulled away. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"You're my best friend, Hoggle." Sarah looked up at the surrounding forest, "Where are the others?"

"They's at the bog, nasty place it is." Hoggle responded, patting Sarah on the back. Glad that he had his best friend back.

"Well, let's go find them and get my brother." Sarah said, taking Hoggle's hand and allowing him to lead her there.

* * *

 **I have actually had this chapter planned for a while, I just needed to get to writing it on my computer.**

 **I hope there were no spelling errors, or that the chapter was too _out there_ and anything of that sort. Just decided someone needed to tell Sarah the King's feelings for her!**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	11. Found

A lonesome king stared out at his vast labyrinth. He stood alone on a high balcony connected to his chambers. Someday he hoped to share this sight with someone, but after hundreds of years of being alone, he began to doubt that he would ever share his life with someone. Of course, his emotionless face revealed nothing of the inner feelings of self-doubt. Perhaps, he decided, that this was his flaw. Perhaps he did not reveal his feelings enough to others.

The king narrowed his eyes on a particular section of the labyrinth. To the naked eye, this section did not show any movement of some sort, but the fae standing on the balcony knew by instinct that more was occurring under the dark, overhanging trees that concealed the view of the forest surrounding the bog.

 _She_ was there.

Jareth did not want to admit it to himself, but he decided that this plan of having her chase after her brother was not the best way to gain her affection. She would be angry, he knew, when she sees him next, but he could not bring himself to simply let her win. To give up and hand Toby back would not only be a sting to his pride, but it would also mean he would never see Sarah again. No, things had gone too far for him to admit defeat now.

He would just simply have to alter the game.

Jareth smirked, and with a quick and well-practiced gesture of his gloved hand, he pulled magic from the surrounding air to form a clear, round crystal. His eyes focused on the crystal, not simply looking at it, but looking _into_ it, forgetting the sight of the majestic labyrinth before him.

* * *

"Well, I know we're close to the bog." Sarah said, pinching her nose. She could never get over how terrible it smelled. It must be connected to the Goblin City sewers, she mused with a humorous grin.

Hoggle led Sarah through the vast expanse of trees to reveal the reeking Bog of Eternal Stench. Instantly, the smell crashed over them in waves, causing both to scrunch up their faces in disgust. Sarah had never smelt something so horrid before, and she could barely keep herself from retching. She found she did not even want to breathe out of her mouth, as if the stench was so powerful it would linger forever if one were to simply inhale it once.

Defining the unpleasant odor was almost impossible. She could not figure out where the smell came from, or any other smell that could even compare. It was its own distinct smell.

"Hoggle, where are they?" Sarah asked the dwarf walking in front of her. Her eyes stung at the intensity of the atmosphere.

"I's - I's don't knows." Hoggle stated in sudden confusion. His brows pulling forward at his sudden realization. He had looked so sure before, but now his composure was hesitant. The dwarf stopped walking, taking Sarah by surprise by the sudden halt. She maintained her balance awkwardly, so not to trip over her shorter companion.

Hoggle looked around the bog, eyes never staying too long on the swamp water itself, but they scanned the edge. He swore not to think of the possibility of his friends falling into the bog.

"Perhaps, they's gone further." The dwarf decided with a firm finality that made Sarah shrug in agreement. She knew arguing with him would not achieve anything, nor would it get them closer to the castle, so they trudged onward.

The rocks Ludo had called years ago to save Sarah's life- or at least her social life- laid in the same spots. They seemed to be molded in, holding on tightly to the bog as if this was their rightful place, and the two companions crossed the sturdy boulders without incident. Letting out a relieved sigh once their feet landed upon dirt once again.

"Look!" Sarah said suddenly, startling the dwarf. Hoggle jumped and lost balance, but before he could tip into the bog Sarah's arm shot out, grabbing hold of him to keep him upright. Once he was perfectly balanced, he shot Sarah a reprimanding glare, but Sarah was looking at something else.

She could see something further out between the trees. Three dark figures moving towards them. The first one was small, only as tall as Sarah's knees. The second one was only slightly taller than the first, but the last one was huge. The last figure was a sharp contrast between the first two, it was large and walked with lumbering movements. Whereas the first seemed to hop with energy, and the second walked with a proud stance. The familiarity of these shadows had caught Sarah's eyes.

"Sarah, it's them!" Hoggle's eyes widened, relieved that his longtime friends had not gotten lost or fallen into the bog.

"Sawah!" The big lumbering shadow yelled, his deep voice carrying through the forest. Without hesitation Sarah grabbed Hoggle's hand, pulling him towards their friends and away from the bog.

"Hey guys!" Sarah greeted in excitement once they had met. She pulled each of them into a hug and reached down to pat Ambrosius affectionately. He nipped at her excitedly.

"My lady, how farest thou?" Sir Didymus greeted back. They all fell in sync with each other, walking towards the direction of the castle in a silent, but mutual agreement. Sarah smiled, realising that she had not felt this happy with anyone else until this moment. Perhaps, when this was all over she would visit them. Depending on, of course, if the king would not bog her after their eventual meeting.

"I'm doing good, Sir Knight. Are you guys okay?" Her green eyes peered at them in concern.

"Ludo… happy…" The beast voiced his opinion and Sarah grinned.

"Good, then we'd better hurry to the castle…" Sarah began with a determined expression clouding her face, "I hope Toby is okay."

No one answered her, for they did not know how the boy was doing, either. Jareth was known to have a temper, but he would never take it out on a child. The worst he would usually do was kick around a few goblins when he felt grumpy, but he could be cruel. Still, it was well-known that the king had a soft spot for the William's family. Even if the family did not know it themselves.

The five companions followed a worn trail through the dense trees. Knowing that if one of them were to stray it could be dangerous. They walked silently, and though Sarah was never one that had to fill the silence, she found it uncomfortable in this situation. Her nerves were a jumbled mess, confusion covered her mind in a thick layer. Two simple words repeated in her mind over and over again.

Goblin King.

She found her emotions were out of hand with him, as each time he came into her mind her feelings would change like some insane rollercoaster. One second she would hate him, the next she would think of his mysteriousness with an air of curiosity, and then that same thing that made her hate him would pull her in like some school girl crush. Rinse and repeat.

To still her overwhelming thoughts of her brother and the villainous king, Sarah settled for small talk. "Do you know how far the castle is from here, Sir Didymus?" She asked with a nonchalance to her voice, though the concern was evident.

"About an hour's worth, my lady." Sir Didymus replied with a courteous nod.

Sarah simply shook her head in response, then noticed something missing. Hoggle had been at her side a minute ago, but the right side of her was now absent of his presence. "Hoggle?" She called and abruptly stopped to turn around. The rest of the group stopped as well and waited.

She spotted the dwarf a little ways behind them, peering at something in the bushes with curiosity. Sarah saw, rather than heard, him sigh in satisfaction as whatever he inspected met his approval. He reached out and picked something up from the base of the bushes, bringing it close to his face as he scrutinized it. A ray of sunlight bounced off of the tiny object in his hand, and Sarah realized what he had found.

Hoggle is like a metal detector for jewelry pieces, Sarah shook her head in amusement at this thought.

"Sarah!" Hoggle called her over, waving his hand at her. She walked towards him slowly with a grin. Once she stopped before him she crossed her arms and waited, looking down at him.

"Says, isn't this yours?" Hoggle asked, lifting up the small ring for her to see. As he lifted it closer to her green eyes, the sun rays reflected on its surface and Sarah's grin dropped.

"My costume ring…" Sarah whispered. How it had gotten into the forest, Sarah would never know. She had given it to the Wiseman ten years ago, and for it to suddenly be here was strange. She reached out a hesitant hand to grab it, and Hoggle put it gently in her awaiting hand.

She saw the greediness in his eyes, but for him to simply give it to her after finding it must have been a show of affection. If Hoggle had wanted it, he could have simply put it in his pocket and she would have never known.

It was an unspoken truce they shared when their eyes met, she knew he wanted it, but he gave it back to her without protest. She forgave him fully in that moment, and he saw the forgiveness in her eyes and he instantly did not feel bad for giving up such a good piece of jewelry.

They were silent for a moment as their friendship repaired itself in their minds.

"My lady!" Sir Didymus called, breaking the silence, "Dost thou want to continue thy quest?" His formal voice broke Sarah out of her thoughts. She nodded mutely in response. Hoggle pulled back and gave her an affectionate pat on her arm, smiling slightly, before he turned and began walking back up the trail to meet Sir Didymus, leaving her alone to her own thoughts.

Sarah silently looked down at her ring, still staying behind for a moment. Her mother had given her this ring. It was not worth much, but it had been a sentimental object. She had hardly wanted to give it up, but when Toby's life had been in danger she had not given it two thoughts, simply just handing it over to the Wiseman.

Sarah looked ahead at her friends that were walking at a very slow pace forward, slow enough for her to catch up, but still walking towards the direction of the castle. Without giving another thought about it, Sarah slipped the ring on hastily and began walking towards them.

Instantly, the ring tightened on her finger, as if it was trying to latch onto her forever. Sarah stopped walking and peered down at the ring, confusion riddling her face at the odd sensation. She brought her hand up to pull the ring off, but it was stuck on as if it had been super glued to her finger.

She began to feel faint, noting that this felt similar to when the witch had tried to swap bodies with her. Similar, yet, not life-threatening, but it was some type of magic, all the same.

Magic.

Her green eyes widened in shock at this realization, her hand urgently trying to pry the ring off, not caring if she hurt her skin at all. The charmed ring remained stubbornly stuck on her and began to glow a bright, crimson color. Sarah froze, staring at the ring in awe as the dizziness overtook her body. Her mind hazed and slow.

She sat down abruptly, not noticing how her bottom hurt as she quickly fell to the ground. Her green eyes gazed at the ring in confusion as they slowly drooped shut. Only one single word repeated in her mind as she drifted off. A name that overtook and burned her mind...

Jareth.

Far away, standing upon a balcony that overlooked the labyrinth, a man smiled a dangerous, winning smile. Things would go his way this time.

* * *

 **Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? I've kind of been procrastinating...**

 **Anyways, I do not own the labyrinth in any way. I'm sure that even in an alternate dimension I would _still_ not own the labyrinth. : /**

 **Thank you for reading! Next chapter should be up soon.**


	12. Dance With Me

**Alright, chapter 12 up. I had a hard time writing this one, especially as exhausted as i have been lately.**

 **As always, I do not own the labyrinth.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

It was not a ball.

It was a party, a formal one in fact, but not a ball.

The young girl could not quite figure out quite why she kept repeating the former phrases in her head, as if she had been expecting a ball, but why would she be expecting one?

She could not remember.

Instead of some grand, brilliant, lightly lit ballroom, she was in a clearing that was deeply embedded in a vast, beautiful forest. Dark, gloomy pine trees surrounded the clearing, and for some reason they seemed blurry. As if they were simply a mirage, or the background of a memory she had never paid attention to, like the details had never been put into complete thought. The forest trees stood tall around the clearing, but they made Sarah feel peaceful. Pine trees always seemed to remind her of her family camping trips in the mountains. The air around her certainly felt like mountain air.

She shrugged that thought off and began slowly stepping forward, becoming completely submerged in the world before her. There were people. Elegant and refined. They would throw their heads back in laughter, and they would dance with speed and grace. It seemed to Sarah that every person around her would envelop themselves fully into whatever emotion they were feeling, expressing it with passion. The revelers actually seemed to be enjoying themselves in pure happiness. Still, Sarah did not understand why that was surprising to her.

A rocky pathway split the clearing directly through the middle, separating each person to their own side. They all seemed to avoid stepping over or onto the pathway, as if it was reserved for someone else, but Sarah could not help but notice she was standing right upon it, and she wondered if it was reserved for her.

Sarah's green eyes looked forward, tracing the pathway to a beautiful, large wooden gazebo that stood in the exact center of the clearing. The people also seemed to avoid the gazebo, as well. There was no one at least three feet close to it. In fact, the elegant people seemed to not even look at it, pretending it was not even there. Though, for some reason everyone else avoided it, Sarah felt she must walk to it. This pulling she felt to it must be for the same reason she was already standing on the empty pathway alone.

It was nighttime, the only light that lit up the clearing were tiny pearl beads of light, almost crystal-like, strewn throughout flower bushes and weaved around the gazebo. It reminded Sarah of Christmas lights, which she had always thought were very pretty on trees.

Sarah took her first step forward, and the crowds turned to face her in reverence, which threw her off. She had not been expecting their acceptance of her, or their warm smiles, but she had been expecting mocking smirks, or mischievous games. Not this awe and respect they gave her. After a few moments, they turned back around, as if they were no longer interested and Sarah began walking further up the long path.

She felt a soft fabric swish around her legs, and she looked down to see an elegant, gentle and soft white dress around her. It was not a ballroom dress, she did not know why she had been expecting one, but it was a long, flowing white dress that was simple, yet beautiful at the same time.

Classical music began to play, and Sarah looked over to see a group of people with violins and other instruments slowly playing, enjoyment shining through their eyes as they manipulated their instruments to play as they would like.

Sarah continued walking, reaching her hands up to feel the long strands of her dark hair. It was flowing in gentle waves down her back. Styled simple, yet perfectly. She only hope it had not fallen flat, but she refrained from touching it anymore.

Her white slip-on shoes met the wooden stairs that stepped up into the gazebo before her, and she made sure to look down at her feet so she would not trip on her dress, as she climbed them. Once she looked up she almost fell back.

A familiar man stood before her, smiling without mischief like she had oddly expected him to, but with merriment. Sarah could not figure out where she knew him from, but she knew that he was stunning. He had long, poofy hair, yet it suited him and outlined his face very well. His features were sharp and demanded authority, yet the way his mismatched eyes gazed at hers, it was as if he had proposed a truce…

A truce? Sarah shook that thought out of her head. Where was she getting all these strange assumptions from? It was likely she had never even met this man before.

Her green eyes stared back at him, roaming up and down to inspect his outfit. He wore a familiar blue jacket with cuffs, black leggings, and white gloves. He was the perfect picture of something… something… her mind searched for the correct word.

"Hello, Sarah." His accented voice greeted, breaking her from her thoughts just long enough to look into his eyes. Then it finally clicked, her mind finally found the perfect word: magic.

"Hello." She said back, still confused.

They moved together, as if they were simply rehearsing lines and knew just what to do. They danced, and as they danced, ignoring everything outside of the lone gazebo, they looked into each other's eyes.

Sarah stayed silent, her mind flashing images at the speed of light as she began to recognize why everything seemed so familiar. The wish, the labyrinth, the _ballroom_ , her victory, the wardrobe, Toby - Toby!

Sarah froze, but Jareth simply led her with ease, not wanting to let her go, and she did not.

He must have done all of this for her, she thought. Her body relaxed once again, there was no time limit to get Toby, right? As long as she did not stay here forever, a few minutes could not hurt. Green eyes studied mismatched ones, and he stared at her right back, never breaking the gaze or the dance, as if it was the most important thing to him.

He had cast a spell over her, she realized, but he did not know that she remembered who he was. She would not tell him yet, she decided. She would not tell him she remembered everything. This was just like another ballroom dream, except a little less violating, she mused.

"Where are we?" Sarah broke the silence.

"In a place to forget." He calmly responded, and Sarah held her tongue from saying 'oubliette,' not wanting him to realize she was fully conscious in this dream, not yet anyways.

Sarah searched for the right words, "Did you set this place up for me?" Her green eyes showed a sliver of hope, and his eyes softened at this.

Gazing fondly down at her in his arms, he replied, "Indeed, I did, Sarah."

"Why?" She had to know, she had to know if his feelings went deeper for her. Right now, there was nothing holding her back. They were not in their world, but in a place of in-between. Right now, nothing else mattered, but the present.

"I would not give just _anyone_ a glimpse into their dreams. Only you, precious." his thin lips crooned with compassion.

Sarah almost melted.

"Jareth." She said his name and his eyes widened in surprise.

He instantly became distant, closed off, and his eyes lost the fond quality they had held for her a minute before. "So you remember, now?" Jareth said indifferently.

Funny how he could change so quickly when he thought his pride was on the line, Sarah mused, but this time she would not reject him. This time she wanted to know _exactly_ how much he felt for her, and how deep those feelings went.

"I remembered the second I saw you," Sarah stated, her voice almost a whisper, and she tightened her grasp on his gloved hands, telling him he was not going to back out.

"And you still dance with me?" He piqued, raising an elegant eyebrow.

Sarah nodded slowly, and she felt him relax slightly, though he was still not as relaxed as before. They fell into silence, enjoying the music around them and slowly dancing together. He held her close, his hand on her hip, and she enjoyed the feeling of him being close. Slowly, she inched her way closer into him, until she was finally able to lay her head against his chest. For some reason, the knowledge that this was a dream and nothing was at stake, she felt more carefree and comfortable with him than ever. She missed the soft smile that slowly rose on the corner of his mouth when she laid her head on his chest.

The music changed noted, indicating the beginnings of a new song.

"So, why did you go through all this for me?" Sarah spoke, sincere curiosity filling her voice.

"I felt it was time we changed the game, precious." Jareth began, "We have been against each other for far too long."

"What happens when I wake up?" Sarah hastily asked.

"You can retrieve your brother from my castle and leave, if you wish to, or you can stay…" He drifted off, his arms pulling her subconsciously closer.

Sarah felt something, just then. A tug at her consciousness, as if the spell was beginning to let go. "What's happening?" Sarah asked, pulling away slightly.

Jareth gave her a sad smile, "I have never been able to keep you for long, precious. Not even my magic could."

She nodded, still holding his gloved hands tightly. Sarah felt the tug at her consciousness again, but this time it was harder, more demanding. The music around them sped up to a speed they could no longer dance along to, and soon it became distorted. The people in the crowd surrounding the tall gazebo began to fade away, almost becoming mists before her eyes. Sarah glanced up to see Jareth still fully there, glad that he had not left her alone in this madness. His eyes met hers, and she reacted impulsively, deciding to leave him with _something_ , after all. She stood up on her tiptoes and gave him a chaste kiss on the side of his mouth, before she pulled away.

Sarah barely noticed the look of surprise that flashed across his handsome face, before the air around her changed. It felt as if everything let out, the sky simply let go and the world around her began to undo and dissolve.

Then the spell finally broke, and it was like gravity released its hold.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Tell me what you think!**

 **:)**


	13. Waking Up

Consciousness broke through, her green eyes slowly opened in bewilderment. A dwarf stood peering down, only a few inches from her face. Where her face wrinkled in confusion, his shown complete concern.

"He's done it agains! That rat!" The dwarf growled in anger, protectiveness feeding the fury he felt.

Sarah blinked.

What was he talking about? Then it all came flying back to her so fast, she had to screw her eyes shut to brace herself from the oncoming memories. The Goblin King… He danced with her. _They_ danced. She had fun. Jareth had shared his feelings…

"Yous knows what I'll do?" Hoggle glared at someone standing behind him, blocking them from Sarah's vision as she opened her eyes at his voice. "I'lls hang _him_ headfirst over the Bog myself!" He declared. "See how he likes _that_!" The dwarf stomped his foot with contempt.

"No." Sarah said as she sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She shook her head as she could finally view all her friends surrounding her.

Sir Didymus was standing so straight and confident behind Hoggle, it looked as if he had placed himself on guard duty over her as she slept. Ludo sat by him, petting Ambrosius with a giant dumb smile. Hoggle looked so furious, no doubt angry that Jareth had found a way around him to place a spell on her this time.

"No, guys." Sarah shook her head, "It's okay. I promise." Her voice reassured them slightly, but Hoggle frowned.

"It's not okay! That rat needs to learn he can't just put spells on you every time yous come here!" He shook his finger at her.

"Hoggle, Hoggle," She grabbed him during his tantrum, holding him still as he tried to fling his arms about in anger, "I'm okay, he didn't do anything mean this time." Sarah tried to calm him.

They knew about the ballroom, Sarah had discussed it at the party they had thrown after she won the labyrinth. Hoggle had asked her what happened when she had eaten the peach, as he had stormed away in guilt before she had passed out. She had shared what happened, telling them that she felt violated at how easily the Goblin King bewitched her. They had given her support and comfort, but she had always wondered what would have happen if the ballroom had not taken such a disturbing change.

Now she knew.

She would have danced with him just as they danced in the gazebo, they would have held each other close, and he would have taken a place in her heart, just as he was beginning to at this moment.

"We have to get Toby." Sarah said firmly, her eyes letting Hoggle know to calm down and help her.

"Toby… friend." Ludo said, his smile growing in happiness even more.

"My lady, follow me, for I know a shortcut through this very part of the woods!" Sir Didymus declared with authority before he whistled at Ambrosius and climbed upon the dog's small back as the dog happily obeyed.

"Alright, let's get my brother." Sarah stood up, taking Hoggle's hand for balance.

Toby was all that mattered right now. She would ensure that Toby is safe at home before she allowed herself to make a decision based on the king's feelings.

* * *

He had given her a decision.

Last time he had not, but now she could choose. He only hoped she could see how much he cared, how much her choices could affect him before she decided.

Jareth stood in his throne room, as the Goblins flew about, chattering as they rambunctiously scaled the walls and chased chickens. It smelled of ale, hardly a perfect environment for a young boy, but Jareth was not concerned. Toby would not be staying long, in fact, as of right now Toby was curled up asleep on his throne, completely oblivious to the world around him.

Last time the boy had made him realize what he was missing out on in life, a family. He had reached out to Sarah, seeing her stubbornness on retrieving her brother and believing she would be a perfect wife and mother. He had not expected to actually fall in love with the girl, but he did.

This time, Jareth felt fondness towards the boy, hoping that Sarah would still allow him to briefly visit Toby, as well, but if Sarah only agreed to stay with him, he would trade _everything_ for that.

The goblin king had opened up a short cut through the forest, visible to the knightly fox. He did not want Sarah to arrive at the castle too soon. She needed time to ponder her decision, but he did not want her to stay in that forest for days, either.

When she arrived in the castle she would make the choice to stay with him, or take her brother and leave. Both would change their lives forever. Jareth could not help but feel a bit anxious, though he did not show it other than tapping the end of his famous riding crop on the stone ground. His face hardly showed emotions, and the goblins believed he almost had none, that was the way he wanted it to stay.

Sarah, though, she was so expressive and pure. She was practically an open book, and it was refreshing to see. He found himself wanting to show her his emotions, more and more. If only he had done that the first time they had met face to face, the outcome may have been different.

Although, maybe it was better this way. She had matured and moved out on her own, facing the adult world bravely, but she still retained her beliefs just as before. Perhaps his labyrinth had that impact on her.

This time their confrontation would be different, he ensured himself. This time she would not get away without knowing his true feelings of her.

* * *

 **Wow, this story is getting to the end.**

 **It's probably not going to end at their confrontation, though.**

 **I hope everyone had a great Halloween! Thank you for reading and I would love to thank the reviewers. You guys really make me happy when you review. It makes my day! Just ask my friends, they see me do a Happy Dance every time I read a new review in my email.**

 **As always, I do not own the labyrinth! ;)**


	14. Empty City

Toby jumped awake at the sound of pots clanging together. Rubbing his eyes in surprise, a goblin stood before the throne with a ridiculously amused smile on it's face.

"I's make music!" It cheered.

Banging the pots together in an unrecognizable pattern, the goblin happily bounced away without further comment.

Sighing, Toby pulled himself off of the throne. He had not meant to fall asleep but Sarah was taking _so_ long. A whole night had passed, but it was still in the early hours of morning.

He just wanted to go home. Toby thought he would never admit it, but he missed school. He missed his family and the warm smell of pancakes that his mother would be making around this time. He missed his dad playing games with him and Sarah telling him stories.

It was not so bad here, he admitted to himself. He would have loved to come and fully enjoy the labyrinth without his sister running for his freedom…

Toby shook his head.

Looking around for the first time, he spotted the king across the room. Jareth was kneeling down and speaking to a really frustrated goblin. It looked like the goblin was ranting unintelligibly. Jareth would shake his head and disagree softly, which surprised Toby. He was not yelling at the goblin, but calmly talking to it. No doubt the Goblin King was trying to convince the goblin to think more logically.

Toby watched as the goblin muttered, and then stalked away from the now standing king that looked like he had won some argument.

This left so many questions in the little boy's mind. Who was the king, really? Was he always cruel or was there a softness underneath his hard and cold shell? Toby knew that his only purpose here was so that Jareth could lure his sister in, but why did he even want Sarah? He decided he should ask him, instead of wonder.

Walking towards the king with a single burning question in his mind, Toby maneuvered through the messy discarded trash.

He pulled on the Goblin King's shirt to grab his attention.

"Mr. King." Toby said, not remembering his actual name.

Jareth raised an eyebrow and turned towards Toby.

"Yes, Tobias?"

"I wanted to ask you something." He looked up at the king with nervousness. Then he began fiddling with his shirt sleeve, debating whether he should question him or not.

"Well, go on." Jareth said impatiently.

Toby peered at the king's intense eyes, and decided that he should. "You brought me here to get my sister… I know that, but…" Toby sighed with hesitation and shrugged, "...Do you love my sister?"

Jareth raised both eyebrows in surprise. "I suppose I-"

"-Your majesty!" A goblin bolted through the throne room doors, panting out of breath and with his armor all crooked.

Toby frowned in disappointment, he was just about to get a confession, but the king was too distracted now. In fact, the king was no longer looking at him.

"Yes?" Jareth grimaced.

The goblin inhaled loudly, his chest heaving up, preparing himself, "The Girl That Ate the Peach and Forgot Everything, Won Back Her Brother, Became Champion Over the Labyrinth, Ran the Labyrinth Again and-"

"-Sarah?" Toby asked, wide eyed in shock. His sister did all of that?

"Yes!" The goblin breathed with relief, "Yes, her!"

"What of her?" Jareth asked, slightly peeved at the titles the woman held.

"She's in the Goblin City again!" He proclaimed.

The room became silent.

Eyes watched the Goblin King as he simply stood there, not in shock but not acting as fast as usual. He seemed to be pondering something instead.

"Wells Kingy, yous gonna let us stop her?" Asked a goblin named Wiznic. Toby would have laughed at the appearance of the goblin if the situation had not been so intense. Wiznic had broken glasses pushed so high on his forehead that they sat above his eyes, instead of over them. He also held a rickety old briefcase in his hands that looked like it had seen better days.

Jareth's face was emotionless, and his eyes narrowed on Toby, deep in thought. The boy shuffled nervously.

A goblin in the room let out an awkward cough.

"No," Jareth began, "Grant the girl access." He gestured with his hands and turned, a swirling cloak appearing on his body while the fabric on his clothes darkened to a more intimidating look, and strutted to his throne.

Toby sighed and sat down; he had no idea what was going on.

"Actually," Jareth paused once he sat on his throne, "Take the boy to _the_ room."

"Wait - the _the room_?" A goblin asked.

"Yes," Jareth sighed.

Wide eyes stared at him back.

"Well, someone do it." The goblin king demanded.

The mass of goblins rushed to their feet, tugging on Toby's clothes urgently.

"Come this way," They said.

"Wait-" Toby felt overwhelmed.

"Come on, come on." They pulled and pushed him out of the throne room, leading him elsewhere.

But all Toby could think about was that the King had never answered his question.

* * *

The city was completely silent, but Sarah knew better than to take this for granted. Last time it had been silent, the whole city's population had sprung up with a surprise attack.

As they walked through the empty streets, Sarah raised her eyebrow.

"It seems like they're going to play the same game as last time," She commented, unimpressed. Turning to Hoggle as he walked beside her, she asked, "How long do you think they'll wait before they send out the army this time?"

"Eh," He shrugged, "Five minutes."

"Have no fear, my lady!" Sir Didymus chimed in, "I shall protect thee!" Sir Didymus rode atop Ambrosius beside her, and Ludo towered over them from behind.

The dwarf snorted and Sarah nudged him.

Still, the city continued to be silent. Not a single goblin lurking as they walked closer to the forbidding castle. It loomed over them as they approached, silently taunting them with its hidden militia Sarah believed was there.

As they reached the steps to the castle entrance, Sarah frowned with confusion. Where was the surprise attack?

Turning around and looking back at the calm and silent city, Sarah scratched her head.

"Why was that so easy?" She asked her friends.

Hoggle shrugged.

Sir Didymus was tense, waiting for his moment to cry out in battle and prove himself victor.

"Go… in… castle…" Ludo prompted.

"I guess you're right, Ludo." Sarah sighed, walking up to him and scratching him on his head with affection.

Turning and looking fondly at her friends, she smiled. "Thank you guys. I'm going to go alone from here, though."

"Be vigilant, my lady." Sir Didymus encouraged.

"I will…"

"If you need us... " Hoggle began, a memory sweeping over the group's eyes.

"I'll call." Sarah grinned at her friends that smiled back so lovingly to her, "I love you guys, see you all soon."

"Ludo… love… friend…"

This statement gave her all the encouragement she needed.

Nodding her head, preparing herself, Sarah turned to the gloomy, towering and intimidating doors of the castle.

As she took a step towards it, they parted for her, sensing her presence. Sarah shrugged, and turned back one last time to wave to her friends, then she stepped through into the castle.

The heavy doors slammed shut behind her with a loud bang.

* * *

 **Cliffhangerrrr.**

 **Next chapter is the confrontation... Dun Dun Dun.** **Thank you all for reading and reviewing! As always, I do not own the Labyrinth. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.**

 **I would also like to take a moment and say that my prayers are with you Paris. God bless and protect you.**


	15. The Confrontation - Part I

**The Confrontation - Part I**

 **Hope you guys enjoy this!**

 **As always, I do not own the labyrinth.**

* * *

The throne room had not changed much since the last time she had stepped into it. The smell of dirty socks, rotten eggs and alcohol burned into Sarah's nostrils, invading them and making her cringe. It was still better than the bog, she encouraged herself.

Her sneakers made soft noises as she cautiously entered the chaotic room. It was empty of goblins, looking as if it was lonely and completely abandoned except by one figure.

The figure was leaning back upon a boney throne at the end of the room. He watched Sarah silently with an intrigued yet withdrawn air. His eyebrow quirked up as she stopped in the center of the room.

They stayed silent for a minute, or two. Sarah felt as if their silence had drawn on for eternity. She did not know what to say or even how to say it. He did care for her, right? Or had the dream been fake, unreal and based upon her darkest, hidden dreams? The fantasy of turning the mysterious and powerful king into a romantic, loving man.

But he had said he could offer her all of her dreams once.

That time had passed, though. He had been cruel and he had been kind. The memories of the past hours played before her eyes; her mind over-analyzing every detail, wondering if he _did_ care for her? The only actual emotion Sarah could settle on was confusion, and the only thought that she could settle on was the _fact_ that her little brother, the baby of the family, was here and was probably very scared.

Sarah realized right now was not the time to argue with the king; the real problem was her missing, scared and tired brother, Toby.

"Where is he?" Her hesitant and almost quiet voice asked.

She was nervous that he would go back on his word, laughing in her face and saying he had never planned to give the kid back in the first place. What if this was all some plot for revenge, Sarah hoped not.

Jareth narrowed his eyes at her, but she could not tell if it was in anger or not. He seemed to be hard to read, and he did not look like the kind of man whose emotions were simple.

"He's not far," Jareth replied, stretching almost nonchalantly across his throne.

"That's a pretty vague response, Jareth." Sarah simply stated.

He straightened his posture and leaned forward, stormy eyes scrutinizing her. "Why are you here, Sarah?" He piqued.

She cocked her head to the side, her green eyes meeting his in a challenge. Inside her head she asked herself the same question. Of course, the biggest and most important reason for her being here was Toby, but was he wondering if she had come to fight him, or be with him?

To be honest, she was wondering the same thing herself. Although, she faced a being with a blank wall as a face, giving no leeway of thought to his emotions. He confused her so much, and she wished he would just tell her his feelings for her, but she knew he would not. If he really loved her, he would not be the first one to say so for fear of being rejected again, but if he did not love her, then she did not expect him to act much differently than he was at the very moment.

"I want to see Toby." She said.

After a moment of silence meeting her request, Jareth drew himself up, meeting her eyes with a silent challenge, and stood from his throne with grace and slow movements. "Very well." The goblin king sneered after another silent moment, and he produced a perfectly round and clear crystal the size of his gloved palm.

He held it up to her with a dangerous glint in his eyes, stepped forward just slightly and before Sarah could prepare herself, he tossed it to her.

With fast reflexes Sarah caught it, surprised at the weight of the tiny thing. Her green eyes looked up and met his for a second, registering that they were full of pity, before she felt the room around her change.

She did not fall, like when she had arrived into the oubliette. Instead, the room around her slowly faded, like a changing scene in a play or movie, and another room faded into existence around her, taking its place.

"Oh my God." Sarah whispered to herself as her eyes took in the room around her.

It was… unreasonable and illogical; it made no sense to her why it was set up this way.

The room was huge, and there was no perimeter walls or corners in right. Not that there was much you could see anyways.

She was surrounded.

Ever _three feet_ there stood a tall, roman-like column. They stood so close together and there were so many of them, it was impossible for Sarah to even get a glimpse of anything else in the room, except the _millions_ of columns that stretched in a never-ending pattern before her. They were golden and magnificent, but Sarah would have appreciated the view more if she could see through them.

"He is in here." Jareth announced, suddenly behind her.

She turned to see that he was very close to her; he had to have been since the columns were placed too close to each other, and there was not much room to stand in-between them.

Sarah craned her head up to stare at the man, knowing he had to make this task impossible on her. He couldn't love her, she thought.

Sarah had just wanted to make sure Toby was alright before she spent her time talking to the king about his feelings that he claimed to have had for her, but he had to make this hard on her.

" _Where_ in this room is he?" Sarah specified.

"Once you find him," Jareth continued as if she had never spoken, "You can leave."

"Of course…" She muttered and turned away from him, wondering which direction in the room she should start off with.

Jareth looked up, and as if it was an afterthought, he added, "You have thirteen minutes."

Sarah's posture tensed in irritation and anxiety. There was just _so_ many columns and she could not see past them to where her brother might be.

"Toby?" She called into the room. Her voice echoed off the old and worn cylinders that surrounded her.

Silence could be heard throughout the room until finally after a minute a small voice answered back.

"Sarah?" Toby called.

"Yes, I'm here Toby," Sarah slipped through two columns towards his voice, but was disappointed when she still could not see him. He must have been really far away and deep into the column-filled room.

"Sarah, I'm scared." He called out to her, his voice trembling.

Sarah looked back and sent the Goblin King an angry glare, before she turned forward again. She needed to calm her brother down so they could get out of this room quickly and logically.

"Toby remember when I first moved into my apartment? Remember that?" Sarah's voice traveled desperately.

The Goblin King, knowing that Sarah was no longer focused on him, stepped completely back from her, fading from sight with no sound and no effort, but she was sure he was still watching her, observing her progress.

She took another step forward.

"Yeah, I remember." Toby replied, his voice sounding as desperate as hers.

"Remember you helped move in my stuff with me, and you got bored, so we played hide and seek?" Sarah peered in between two columns, but was faced with nothing but negative space and more columns.

"Yeah..." He called from somewhere behind her now.

Not sure how it was possible, Sarah twirled around expecting to see him there, but instead was greeted with the sight of more golden marble.

"Toby, let's play hide n seek, okay?" Sarah called out.

She walked toward his voice slightly, craning her head up so she might hear him better.

"Okay." Toby's voice echoed throughout the large room with a nervous waver.

"I'm hiding, and you have to find me." Sarah yelled, looking around the vast, empty, and elegant room. "Ready? Count to ten and follow my voice."

The columns in the room hid most of it from eye-site, and Sarah quickly walked around each, while peering through them, hoping to spot her ten-year-old brother before time ran out.

She could not help but be thankful she was not claustrophobic.

"Ten," Her brother's voice carried through the room, "Nine... Eight..."

She heard him falter and she paused in her steps.

"Keep going Toby. Follow my voice; I'm right here." She encouraged, a false bravado in her voice.

"...Seven, six... Five..." He continued.

Sarah followed the sound of him counting, putting her hands out in front of her so he might be able to see them if she was near.

"Good job, see? It's just like playing it at home, but it's easier Toby." Sarah said, laying a hand against one of the columns. She gulped slightly, trying to regain herself and keep Toby motivated.

"Four, three... Two, One... Ready or not, here I come!" Toby yelled back, and Sarah noted with excitement that his voice seemed closer to her now.

"Come on Toby!" Sarah bellowed, "Come and get me, beat your record of two minutes." Sarah looked around hopelessly, irritation growing at the cylinders around her. They blocked all line site, but remembering the Escher room and how it had not discouraged her, Sarah set her jaw and told herself that this room would not discourage her, either.

With renewed confidence she walked forward slowly, gazing around to make sure she wouldn't be able to miss him.

"I bet you I can." He called back with false confidence.

"Then prove it Toby!" She taunted, and her voiced echoed. Her throat began to hurt from strain.

"I will!" He called and the closeness of his voice shocked her.

She turned around, her heart beating loudly in her chest, and there he stood; not facing her, and unaware that she was behind him. Before he could move further out of reach, Sarah grabbed him as fast as she could, holding him tight against her.

"Sarah!" He gasped.

"Oh my goodness," Sarah squeezed her eyes shut as she fell to the floor with him in her arms. Toby hugged her back once he got over the shock of her suddenly being there.

After _hours_ of missing him, hoping with all her heart that he was safe, Sarah finally let tears of relief and joy fill her eyes.

"I was so worried," She said, overwhelmed with emotions.

"I wasn't," Sarah raised her eyebrows at Toby's statement, "I knew you would come back for me." He smiled and hugged her tighter.

Sarah ruffled his hair, smiling brightly.

"I will always come back for you." Sarah said with relief and joy, but she knew this was not over yet. They still had to get home.

She still had to face the Goblin King.

* * *

 **It's not over!**

 **All of Jareth's reasoning will be explained next chapter.**

 **Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I may or may not see you next week, I'm going out of state to visit family.**

 **I hoped this chapter lived up to your expectations, but it's not ogre yet... ;)**


	16. Part II: The Conclusion

She was not supposed to chose the boy. Yet, he knew Sarah rarely did anything according to his plans.

The girl -no, young woman- had once again barged through his labyrinth, successfully making it to his castle. He should have had her dear friends dipped straight into the bog for betraying him once again, but he wouldn't. His heart would not be in it.

This time they had helped him. He had _wanted_ the girl to get to the castle. This time he had wanted her to win. Jareth had waited years with anticipation for their next meeting. Now she was finally here, and he could tell her everything that had been on his mind.

Then suddenly, she was standing there before him…

Her bright eyes staring around the room in awe and wonder, until they hardened in determination when they landed on him. He doubted that she was aware, but her face betrayed her thoughts. He knew from the second she had looked at him that her thoughts were on one thing only.

Her brother.

"Where is he?" She asked in a hesitant, yet worried whisper.

Though her voice was small, the words were not lost on him. He had given her a choice and she had clearly chosen. Sarah chose her brother, and now it was clear that she would always chose Toby over him.

Jareth ignored the trickling of anguish that made it's way to his heart. Instead, he masked his despair with indifference.

"He's not far…" He drawled.

He would make her work to get her brother back. She would never see him as anything more than a villain, after all. One last challenge and she could take her brother and leave...

* * *

Jareth sat on his throne, not quite sure about the feelings that were once again rebelling against him. Sarah always seemed to make him this way, but now the affect on his heart was stronger than before. Perhaps she had not meant to lead him on, but that one tiny kiss. That slight press of the lips and he was done for. It had been enough to make him hope. He had wondered for just a little while if he would finally have someone by his side.

Jareth tilted his head back, briefly glancing at the clock and noting the time. Sarah still had a little while to find her brother in the column room.

It probably did not help his case, leaving her there to search for Toby in desperation. But it was over now. What did it matter if she was not going to chose him anyways? He would send her home and force himself to move on.

A throat cleared.

The goblin king opened his eyes, not quite sure when he had closed them, to see Sarah standing before him. She was alone.

"You still have time," Jareth acknowledged.

"I already won," Sarah said. Jareth simply raised an inquiring eyebrow in response. "Toby is outside of the Throne Room." She clarified.

"I see," Jareth drawled, standing from his throne with a soft gracefulness. "And I suppose you will be wanting me to send you back?"

"-It was very rude of you to take him." Sarah began, and when he opened his mouth to reply she quickly continued, "It was very nasty. Especially since no one asked you this time." She shook her head. "I was so scared, and I didn't know where he was… You could have just given him straight to me instead of making me go through that…" She trailed off.

"I did what I felt I had to do," Jareth began.

"Jareth, I-"

"Let me finish," he held a hand up. "I felt I had to do this because I wanted you to stay. I wanted you to see how much you actually love this world - and before you disagree, you must admit that you do love this world. You would not have found the portal if you did not. You would not have wanted to return, therefore you would not have been able to."

Sarah remained silent, frowning in thought.

Jareth slid closer. "I don't want you to fear me anymore…" He whispered.

"I _don't_ fear you." Sarah corrected.

"Then why do you not trust me?"

"Fear and trust are two different things," Sarah shook her head, shaking off the thoughts that were beginning to take control of her mind. "This is not what I came to talk about."

"Oh, it isn't?" Jareth smirked, arrogance lighting his features.

"No…" Sarah looked up at the man that was now standing before her. He pretended to be aloof, but she needed to see the real him. Needed to see behind his mask before she made her final decision. "Why did you take Toby from me?" She asked, not with anger or desperation, but with a wondering mind. A mind that just wanted to _know_.

"I-"

"-I know that you did it with the intentions of drawing me here," She interrupted, "but _why_ do you want me here?"

"I've told you, Sarah." Jareth frowned, was the girl really so insecure? He had danced with her twice now, opening his heart up both times, and she still doubted him?

"No, not really." Sarah shook her head.

"Yes, I have." Jareth gave her a meaningful look, "I have told you that I would move the very stars for you. I have expressed myself through granting your every wish. I have changed my entire kingdom for you… And I have done much, much more."

"You want me to stay?" Sarah asked after a minute of pondering silence. His words weighed heavily on her mind, and on her heart.

"Forever," He said.

* * *

The young woman sighed, pushing a stack full of papers away from her. Resting her chin in her hand, she waited impatiently for the clock to hit five thirty. Then she would be free to go home and enjoy the rest of the evening by herself.

It had been a month since Sarah had been in the labyrinth. For the first couple weeks she had stated at the silent wardrobe in her room with despair and anxiety. Eventually, it became too much for her and she had taken it back to the antique store she had bought it from.

Toby had hundreds of questions.

She had answered all the ones that she possibly could, but she was no expert on the Underground. Just a frequent visitor.

Toby had been worried at first that the Goblin King would return for him, but Sarah reassured him that he wouldn't. She knew he wouldn't. Not after everything that had passed between them.

The clock hit five thirty, and Sarah was free to go.

Before she left her newly acquired job, she gave one quick glance at the back of the store. She knew no one would take it, it was not for sale, but she could not help the surge of protectiveness she felt over it.

The wardrobe stood at the back of the antique store, looking just as magnificent as it had that morning, and the day she had found it. Good, Sarah nodded, it was safe.

She was one of the only ones in existence that knew of its magical capabilities. She wondered if its previous owner knew...

With one last respectful nod at the wardrobe -a daily routine- Sarah walked out of the store, locking the doors behind her.

Sitting on the desk that Sarah had abandoned only a few seconds before, were a stack of papers that the young woman had been pouring over for days. Most of the formally written words were too complex for most to bother with reading, but it did not matter to Sarah. Only one sentence mattered to her. The sentence simply read:

Previous owner of wooden wardrobe -Susan Pevensie.

That was all Sarah needed to know.

* * *

A knock at the front door alerted Sarah, and a giant smile spread across her face. Jumping up from the couch, she placed the book she had been reading on her coffee table. She scrambled to the door, her smile getting wider as she unlocked it.

When she opened the door she was greeted with quite a sight.

A man stood before her, his hair short and blonde. Eyes that seemed mismatched, but she discovered they were both blue. One was permanently dilated. His sharp features held a masculine beauty, if such a thing were possible. He held himself gracefully and elegantly, like a king.

Sarah's smile froze.

He cocked his head to the side at her reaction. "Hello, Sarah."

She shook herself out of her shock. "Your hair!"

"What?" He leaned back from her, his hands reaching up to the shortened strands. "You don't like it?"

"Like it?" Sarah smiled, "I love it…"

"And I love you."

She blushed, that phrase still melted her heart. He had said it to her for the first time two weeks ago, and she had felt such overwhelming joy at those words. Jareth had taken her positive reaction as a good sign, and since then he had begun to say it as much as possible. He found he was rather fond of the phrase, as well. Especially when Sarah said it.

"Well, come in. I made us dinner." Sarah welcomed him in.

He was wearing human clothes, something that did not go unnoticed by Sarah. The last few times he had visited her, he had worn his "normal" clothes, but that didn't bode too well when she tried to take him out in public for a date.

Yes, date. They had been dating for a month. As soon as he spoke the word "forever", Sarah realized that this man was serious. He truly wanted to be with her. She made him return her to her world on the condition that he would frequently visit her for their weekly "dates". Though before she knew it, they were seeing each other much more often than once a week. It was every other day now.

"I really appreciate that you dressed up in modern human clothes," Sarah began, "But you didn't have to do it tonight. You know that we weren't going out for dinner."

"Yes, yes I know." Jareth gave her a devilish grin, "But I thought I looked rather fetching in these clothes, wouldn't you agree?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Yes, you know I agree…"

* * *

 **End.**

 **Done. Finished.**

 **Well, there _will_ be an epilogue. I feel that there is still a little more to tie up, but for the most part this story is done.**

 **Yay!**

 **I had a whole list over here that explained why I've been absent for so long, and also why I was avoiding this particular story... but now it seems so petty.**

 **I would love to thank all of those that have followed, favorited and reviewed. It kept me writing, when, honestly, I had fallen out of love with this story a _long_ time ago. I went through a lot of major life changes as I was writing this story. Family death, moving houses, etc. I know for certain that it could be improved and has much more potential... I have not tried as hard with this FanFic than I have with others. Perhaps, someday I will revisit it. But for now I am relieved to say that the only left to do is write a short epilogue and then click complete.**

 **If you like my other story 'The Fairy Ring', keep an eye out for an update soon. Thank you for your time! God bless.**


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